A 33 year old police officer in the support unit based in Buchwa was on Tuesday convicted of criminal abuse of duty after he received $20 from a businessman who was selling slaughtered chickens without a permit.
Simbarashe Murozvi met Mandlenkosi Moyo selling slaughtered chickens from the back of his car and asked him to produce a permit upon which the latter failed to do so.
Murozvi asked for a bribe from Moyo so that he would not arrest him. But Moyo reported the matter and a trap was laid by Gweru police which led to him (Moyo) handing Murozvi $20. Murozvi was arrested on the spot.
Gweru magistrate Vimbai Makora said Murozvi had failed to explain to the court the reason he was given the money before convicting him for abuse of duty as a public officer.
Makora said she would deliver sentence on Wednesday.
The court heard that sometime in May last year Murozvi, who was in the company of a colleague, met Moyo who had slaughtered chickens in the boot of his car.
The two cops asked Moyo to produce a permit for selling the birds but he failed to do so.
They suggested to Moyo that they settle the matter outside the confines of the law to which the latter agreed.
Moyo however proceeded to make a police report and later on phoned Murozvi so that they meet in town after police at Gweru central gave him two $10 notes to use as trap.
When the two met Moyo handed Murozvi the money before police in plain clothes arrested him.
In his defence Murozvi said Moyo kept on phoning him asking that they meet in town.
He said he thought Moyo wanted help since he had left him to deal with the issue of permit without arresting him.
Murozvi said he was surprised when Moyo greeted him handing $20 before hurriedly walking away from the scene.
He said police details immediately surrounded him and arrested him.
