THE High Court has dismissed a second bail application filed by Trymore Chapfika who is suspected to have been involved in the US$2,7 million cash-in-transit heist that took place earlier this year.
Chapfika initially approached the court earlier in March with an application for bail which was denied by Justice Tawanda Chitapi.
Unsatisfied with the outcome of the first application, Chapfika had petitioned the court for the second time, arguing that Justice Chitapi’s initial decision to deny him bail should be set aside as his accomplices, who are currently awaiting trial for the same crime, have already been admitted to bail.
In delivering his judgment, Justice Pisirai Kwenda noted that the bail application was faulty as it did not rely on its own merits, but instead was attempting to reap the benefits of his co-accused’s applications.
“This case is a typical example of a trend where co-accused persons, whether deliberately or not, file separate applications and those who do not succeed on the first attempt ground file further or fresh applications on the success of a co-accused person’s bail application.
“In my view, the admission of a co-accused to bail does not necessarily constitute a new fact in the personal circumstances of the accused person previously denied bail. In this case the applicant has already been denied bail. I am not satisfied that the applicant has justified a further application. As a result, this application cannot succeed. It is hereby dismissed,” Justice Kwenda ruled.
Chapfika was arrested in January after he and 12 others allegedly connived to rob a cash-in-transit truck that was transporting money to seven bank branches in Chinhoyi, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Chegutu and Bulawayo.
They had reportedly armed themselves with pistols, knives and three vehicles which they used to stalk the van.
It is alleged that one of the guards transporting the money had been in contact with the robbers and had requested the driver to pick up some of the accomplices as passengers at Westgate roundabout.
Once the driver had stopped to drop off the “passengers” near Gwebi River, the robbers produced a pistol and fired shots in the air whilst the others subdued the other guards.
Upon reaching the 60km peg, the car was stopped and an Isuzu twin-cab immediately arrived at the scene with people armed with pistols, who took the truck off the road, before off-loading the cash boxes and disappearing.