BULAWAYO - A senior police officer appeared in court last week on charges of fraud involving the illegal sale of a Plumtree property. Inspector Cecilia Kunyadini head of Bulawayo province police criminal records office appeared before magistrate Thobekile Matimbe last Monday to answer to charges of criminal abuse of office and fraud. Allegations against Kunyadini are that sometime last month she was approached by one Nhlanhla Manyika who asked her to sign an affidavit in the name of Munyaradzi Mushayi.
The affidavit statement was to be used as an agreement of sale for a house in MaDube Township in Plumtree owned by Mushayi who was not however not party to the purported and illegal sale of his property. The alleged offence came to light early this month when Mushayi went to Plumtree town council where he discovered that the signature on the affidavit statement held by the local authority as an agreement of sale was not his and that he was not the author of the affidavit.
The state alleges that Kunyadini exercised her functions contrary to or inconsistent with her duties as a public officer. The state also mentioned that Kunyadini was not empowered by law to sign the affidavit as the person who was said to have authored it was not before her to take oath. Kunyadini allegedly received US$20 from Manyika for signing and commissioning the affidavit.