Senior CIO agent further remanded in custody over stolen number plates
A senior state security agent who is accused of facilitating the issuance of stolen vehicle number plates from the Counter Intelligence Department in the President’s Office was further remanded in custody to Friday despite his plea to be released on medical grounds.
Godfrey Bvenura (65) was arrested on Thursday and initially appeared in court on Friday and remanded to Wednesday for bail application.
However the bail could not be heard after magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa postponed the hearing to Friday this week saying she needed to familiarize herself with the case.
Bvenura separately appeared on Friday last week together with Tatenda Dzapasi who is also a state security agent and Vice president Kembo Mohadi’s aide.
But Dzapasi was granted US$300 bail and Bvenura’s plea for bail on the grounds that he is diabetic was not accepted by the magistrate.
According to a reliable source, Bvenura was retired this year but he continued his fraudulent activities purporting to represent the Counter Intelligence department at CVR.
The source said he was arrested after the investigations team stopped CVR from processing any vehicle number plates from the Counter Intelligence department.
Unbeknown to Bvenura, he then teamed up with George Madziva and went to collect the number plates at CVR where he was subsequently arrested and Madziva escaped.
According to the court papers, sometime during the dates around 29 September this year, Central Vehicle Registry Office (CVR) Harare received an application for number plates (CVR4 Form) in respect of a Renault Duster vehicle was allegedly owned by the President’s Department from a client.
It is alleged that CVR then processed the registration book and number plates.
On October 11, the accused met Madziva, who is stationed at State House Research department in the Harare Central Business district.
Madziva then told the accused that he wanted his company to go to CVR to collect number plates.
lt is alleged that Bvenura then teamed up with Madziva and proceeded to CVR but they were not issued with the registration book and number plates since the Deputy Registrar one Mrs Chidzvete was not present.
lt is alleged that on October 12, the accused again teamed up with Madziva who is still at large and proceeded to CVR in a bid to collect the number plates and that is when the Deputy Registrar alerted members of the President’s Department.
The President’s Department then alerted CID PACU (NR) who reacted to the information and arrested the accused person.
A vehicle registration book for a Renault Duster vehicle registration number AGF 8821 in the name of the President’s Department which was indicated as the one whose number plates were to be collected by accused and Madziva was recovered.
