Former City of Harare regional building inspector Roy Nyabvure, who is facing allegations of criminal abuse of office, has been denied bail by a Harare Magistrate Taurai Manuwere who said there are compelling reasons that he would abscond trial.
Nyabvure was arrested after appearing before the Harare Magistrates Court where he was testifying in a case involving Pokugara Properties.
Pokugara Properties who are the complainant in Nyabvure’s case alleges that he did not properly circulate architectural plan submitted by Harare developer George Katsimberis.
“The arguments of abscondment is further amplified by the fact that the applicant has no verified address. The address he gave to the court was not verified by the investigating officer, he last resided at *** Marimba more than 10 years ago, that he is not resident a that place…, resultantly it will be difficult to find him when he absconds.The witnesses as former workmates are susceptible to being influenced and interfered with…From the foregoing statement there are compelling reasons to deny applicant bail resultantly the application for bail pending trial be and is hereby dismissed,” said Manuwere
Nyabvure’s lawyer Tawanda Kanengoni had told the court that Nyabvure was being persecuted for testifying against Pokugara Properties who are said to be informants in the matter and was of fixed abode.
Nyabvure is a state witness in the case where Katsimberis is suing Sharpe, his aide Michael John Van Blerk and top Harare City Council officials for perjury and malicious damage to property.
The case arose after the local authority demolished Kastimberis’ show house in Borrowdale, Harare on allegations that it was built using a fake plan.
Sharpe and his company, Pokugara properties, council officials Mandla Ndebele, Isaiah Zvenyika Chawatama, Samuel Nyabezi and Lasten Taonezvi are accused of malicious damage to property after they destroyed Katsimberis’ house.
Nyabvure has already testified in two cases consisting of perjury charges against Van Blerk and the Harare City Council and was due to testify on the malicious damage to property under case 1592/08/19 when the police arrested him.
Before his arrest, Nyabvure had reported Sharpe’s aide Tatiana Aleshina to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission claiming that she interfered with his case after allegedly wrote a letter on June 12, 2019, to town clerk Hosiah Chisango.
Aleshina allegedly wrote the letter a day after Nyabvure gave a statement to the police against Sharpe and his associates.
Pokugara once caused the arrest of Katsimberis on the same facts on a matter he is a witness against Sharpe and his company. He has been appearing in court pursuing perjury and malicious damage to property cases against the group who are witnesses in his case.
