HARARE – A Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) head of security, who testified yesterday in the ongoing rape trial of Bikita West legislator Munyaradzi Kereke, claimed that his office was requested to backdate the time that the MP had returned a gun issued to him by the Central Bank.
Kereke, a former advisor to the RBZ governor Gedion Gono, is standing trial on charges of raping two minors sometime in 2010 at his Vainona home at gunpoint.
The maverick businessman is alleged to have used an RBZ-issued gun in the alleged rape.
The Central Bank head of security Grasham Muradzikwa told the court that according to the RBZ Gun Control Register, Kereke was still in possession of the gun since he did not abide by procedures when surrendering the gun.
“Records at Security Department where I am in charge do not reflect that the accused person returned that gun,” Muradzikwa said.
“I cannot remember the exact dates but sometime in 2010, I was summoned by my boss Mirirai Chiremba and he asked me if it was possible to backdate receiving the weapon into our records.
“I indicated to him that it was not possible because our books were subject to audit by the government… (and) I would also require an explanation to the administrator who books the weapons.”
Kereke’s lawyer Erum Mutandiro produced an RBZ document penned by Chiremba supporting that Kereke had returned the gun by June 14 2010.
In his defence, Kereke refuted claims that he allegedly raped the victim at gun point arguing that the pistol purported to have been used on the day had already been returned to RBZ by that time.
1 Comment