Fake ZJ69 books: Cop fights back

LAWYERS representing a senior police officer based at Marlborough Police Station, Harare, who is alleged to have been the brains behind counterfeit Admission of Guilt deposit fine books (ZJ69), have threatened to take legal action against some senior officers who are purportedly supplying false information to the media pertaining to their client.

In a statement, Inspector Victor Jaja, through his lawyer Mr Liberty Chirenje of Makuku Law Firm, said:

“For record sake, Victor Jaja has a clean record of service to date and has never been convicted of any offence. All the cases that have been made reference to in which some officers were caught using fake books, Jaja has not been part and parcel of those proceedings save to state that he was even the arresting detail in the Tsholotsho case.

“A perusal of all those trial records does not even reveal where he was actually implicated as the source of those fake ZJ69 books.

“With regard to the issue of a board of inquiry being set to assess the suitability or otherwise of Jaja as a member of the force, we wish to put the record straight that Jaja is still a member of the ZRP and has not been convicted of an offence under the Police Act and as such no board of inquiry can be put up to inquiry his suitability to continue to serve as a member,” he said.

Mr Chirenje said a board of suitability is an option of last resort to deal with errant members of the force who would have been convicted of serious offences which have an effect of bringing the police force into disrepute.