A SENIOR Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) officer was yesterday convicted by Harare magistrate Ngoni Nduna for extorting a Chinese businessman.
Patrick Badza, who was initially charged together with Chester Matsvimbo, is employed by the President’s Office as senior programmes manager.
Matsvimbo, a programmes, manager was acquitted.
Nduna ruled that evidence submitted by the State was overwhelming.
Badza, who is being represented by Shepherd Makonde, will be sentenced today after mitigation.
The court heard that Live Touch Private Limited, where the complainant Kyle Dongchaun Wang is the managing director, started an expansion drive into limestone mining.
Between March and April in 2020, Dongchaun submitted Temporal Employment Permits (TEP) applications to the Immigration Department for 33 Chinese technical experts.
The Immigration Department submitted the applications to the Committee on Foreign Recruitment to process them, the court heard.
- CIO operative convicted for extortion
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The court heard that on April 21, 2020, the committee made a site visit to Live Touch Mine in Kwekwe where they were shown the operations of the mine by Junior Zigora, the operations officer.
On May 14, Zigora received a call from Badza who said he was from the President’s Office and wanted details of the person who was responsible for the TEP applications.
Badza demanded a bribe for facilitation of the TEP applications.
The mine director reported the case to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) and a trap was set.
On May 18, Badza contacted Dongchaun and they agreed to meet at a hotel in the capital where he asked for US$300 for each application, making a total of US$9 900.
Dongchaun promised to give him US$3 500, with the balance to be paid after the issuance of the TEPs.
Dongchaun handed over the money to Badza who was with Matsvimbo at a restaurant in Borrowdale and they were arrested by Zacc officers.
