A senior reporter for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and a member of the notorious Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), have both been detained for extorting US$25,000 from gold dealer Scott Sakupwanya.
Reporter Tendai Munengwa and CIO agent Henry Kachere appeared before Yeukai Dzuda, a magistrate in Harare over the weekend.
According to the testimony given in court, the pair conspired to extort money from Sakupwanya by threatening to reveal sensitive information about some supposedly unlawful gold operations that they claimed were taking place inside his company.
According to their plan, Munengwa allegedly approached Sakupwanya and sought US$25000 so that he could bring the documents and destroy them after receiving money.
Sakupwanya said he could afford $15,000 due to the excessive pressure put on him.
Munengwa allegedly accepted the money and indicated he was going to bring the CIO officers handling the matter to his offices on February 9.
Allegations are that, the same day, the police obtained a trap authority and Sakupwanya gave the money to Tozivepi Milward, his security officer, to give the money to the two.
It is alleged that Munengwa and Kachere went to Better Brands offices in Greendale where Kachere showed Milward the file, which they claimed contained incriminating information.
Milward then handed over the trap money to Munengwa who received it and took possession of the cash.
The police reacted promptly and arrested the two at the scene.
The trap money was recovered from Munengwa. Zim Morning Post
