Suspended RBZ boss makes refusal of further remand application

SUSPENDED Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) director for the Financial Intelligence Unit, Mirirai Chiremba, who is facing criminal abuse of duty charges, on Thursday gave notice that he intended to make an application of refusal of further remand.

Chiremba appeared before magistrate Mrs Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro and his matter was remanded to March 15, prompting him to notify the court of his application on the next remand date.

Chiremba allegedly raised the withdrawal limit of a company without following procedure.

In his notice, Chiremba indicated that he is basing his application on the time which has lapsed since his arrest.

He said the State should have given him a trial date by now. He is on $6 000 bail. His other bail conditions include surrendering his passport, reporting three times a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — to the Criminal Investigations Department, not to interfere with witnesses from NMB Bank and the RBZ and to surrender title deeds to his house in New Marlborough, Harare.

Allegations are that on October 13 last year, Suzan General Trading opened an NMB Bank account at the Borrowdale Branch which was meant to facilitate payments by Fidelity Printers and Refiners for gold delivered by Suzan.

At the time, the corporate withdrawal limit was US$10 000 per day.

On October 27, Suzan through one of its signatories, Shah Saumilkumar, filed an application to NMB requesting for the withdrawal limit to be raised to US$30 000.

NMB carried out reviews of the application before transferring it to the RBZ financial unit for processing.

Chiremba approved the November 3.

On February 23, Suzan successfully applied for their daily limit to be increased to US$95 000 due to business expansion.

Suzan tendered another application for the limit to be raised to US$195 000 on August 3, which Chiremba allegedly approved before it was processed by the RBZ Financial Intelligence Unit. application on