Emily Mbewe Court Reporter
A Zvishavane councillor and two other men defrauded several Eco-cash agents and supermarkets of $7,500 through depositing counterfeit US dollar notes and using false identity documents, a magistrate heard yesterday.The councillor, Nomore Nyoni, 36, Wellington Marihoho, 44, from Gweru and Pardon Nyoni, 26, from Zvishavane pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody to February, 7.

Magistrate Glademore Mushove denied them bail saying there was a likelihood that if released, they might continue committing the crime.

“You’re not fit candidates for bail, therefore you will be remanded in custody. We fear that if you’re set free you will continue defrauding people in the same manner,” said Mushove.

The three men had begged the court to grant them bail, with Nomore saying he had responsibilities as the councillor for ward six in Zvishavane.

“Your honour, I beg you to grant us bail because I’m a councillor and I’ve a tight schedule.   We’re honest people as evidenced by the fact that we surrendered ourselves to the police,” he said.

Prosecuting, Taurayi Hondoyemoto told the court that the trio committed the crimes betwen June and September 2014.

Sometime between June and August 2014, they allegedly deposited fake notes amounting to $7,500 and later withdrew the same amount of genuine US dollar notes.

They used false identity documents during the transactions.

Hondoyemoto said that on September, 14, 2014 they went to East 68 Pub in Bulawayo’s Matsheumhlophe suburb and tendered a fake $100 note to a barlady who immediately discovered that the note was fake.

When she confronted them, the three rushed out of the pub and sped off in their vehicle, but she managed to record the vehicle’s registration numbers.

On October, 20, the same year the trio were arrested at a roadblock in Hwange when the police identified the vehicle’s registration number.

 

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