The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Saturday, November 14, 1992 — In an unprecedented move, a Bulawayo High Court judge yesterday ordered two men who are alleged to have embezzled $1,5 million to get out of Matabeleland immediately, as one of the bail conditions.

Mr Justice Muchechetere granted the acting managing director of the Zimbabwe Development Corporation, Murombo Charles Goromonzi, and another employee of the corporation, Itayi Emmanuel Muguza, bail on condition that each furnished the registrar of the High Court with personal recognisance of $200 000.

The two men who are alleged to have defrauded the corporation by paying fictitious companies sums of money amounting to $1,511 million, appeared before Mr Justice Muchechetere, for their bail application.

Mr Muchechetere ordered the two men who reside in Harare to leave Matabeleland within 24 hours as a measure of ensuring that they would not interfere with police investigations or state witnesses.

Mr Muchechetere also ruled that the two men should not contact any ZDC employee or any of its affiliate companies situated in Matabeleland. They should remain at their Harare homes save for being required to appear in court. The two were also ordered to surrender their travel documents and to report once a day to the nearest police station.

Justice Muchechetere ruled that the two men should not contact each other while out on bail.

Mr Josias Makowane, for the State, opposed bail on the grounds that investigations were still being carried out and more documentation on the embezzlement was being discovered.

He requested that bail be denied until the end of this month.

Mr Makowane submitted that the two men who were well educated — Goromonzi holds a PhD while Muguza has a Masters degree – were influential and were likely to tamper with evidence.