By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –
A ZIMBABWEAN and two Zambians have appeared in court for attempting to obtain money from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) amounting to more than US$583,000.
Thomas Mutano, a business executive of Harare, Zimbabwe, Julius Zgambo and Themba Ziba are charged with attempting to obtain money by false pretences.
Mutano, Zgambo and Ziba are alleged to have between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014 in Lusaka attempted to obtain $583,110 from FRA by pretending that their company, Pyrate Investment had not collected maize it had purchased from FRA.
Mutano, Zgambo and Ziba who appeared before Lusaka magistrate Sylvia Munyina told the court after the offence was read out to them, that they were not guilty.
Mutano through his defence lawyer Mutemwa Mutemwa applied to be granted bail because the offence he is charged with is bailable.
The State objected to Mutano’s application for bail, alleging that he is a flight risk who on several occasions attempted to flee the country.
It was the State’s submission that at one point, it took the immigration officers to alert the State that Mutano was about to leave the country.
But Mr Mutemwa said his client’s passport was in the hands of the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), as such cannot leave the country.
Mr Mutemwa urged the court to apply the law fairly arguing that the fact that his client was a national of another country, should not be deprived bail on a bailable offence.
Ms Munyina granted Mutano a K10,000 cash bail and two Government sureties in the sum of K5,000 in their own recognisance.
She said that there was no evidence before court to show that Mutano had attempted to flee the country.