By Tarisai Machakaire
A cop who was attached to Avondale Police Traffic Section was yesterday convicted on 103 counts of fraud after he cashed-in on motorist fines using a fake receipt book.
Claudius Mazvimba, 35, faces up to 35 years behind bars which is the maximum penalty one faces following a conviction over fraud.
He also has a further criminal abuse of office conviction and will be sentenced today.
Mazvimba’s judgment was passed by Harare magistrate Francis Mapfumo who ruled that the State had managed to prove a prima facie case against him.
Investigating officer Thomas Mabwe who testified during the trial told the court Mazvimba copied serial numbers of legitimate fines books and used them to make his personal copy.
“It was a well-calculated move and the accused person made … personal copies of the fines books which had serial numbers copied from legitimate books that will be running at the station so that their authorities would not easily catch them,” Mabwe said.
“These books were running concurrently but the fake book would be in custody of the accused person. He connived with constables Makuni, Chipokosa, Magomba and Mashayahwaro.”
Mabwe said the accused person would ensure that the same copy made in the duplicate book would also be in the legitimate books at the station.
Prosecutor Michael Reza proved that Mazvimba connived with other traffic police officers based at Avondale Police Station and acquired fake Z69 (J) books that resembled the originals used in administrative work.
Mazvimba and his accomplices would use the books to receipt fines paid by motorists that breached traffic regulations.
In a bid to cover up the offence, Mazvimba would demand cash only from the motorists to avoid being detected.
They would share the money among themselves and according to police administration procedures completed dockets can only be filed after attaching a pink triplicate copy from a Z69J book but in all the cases Mazvimba attached fake copies.
Mazvimba and his accomplices would submit completed dockets to their superiors for closure and filing. DailyNews
