HARARE
–
Suspended
Harare
City
Council
principal
engineer
Albert
Madanha,
accused
of
assaulting
some
Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption
Commission
(ZACC)
officers
during
an
attempt
to
arrest
him,
will
languish
in
remand
prison
over
the
Easter
holiday
after
his
bail
ruling
was
pushed
to
next
week
by
a
city
magistrate.
Madanha
was
arrested
earlier
this
week
charged
with
criminal
abuse
of
office
and
assaulting
a
peace
officer.
He
appeared
before
Harare
magistrate
Donald
Ndirowei
who
remanded
him
to
April
2
for
bail
ruling.
Prosecutors
allege
Madanha
was
involved
in
illegal
distribution
of
land
in
Harare’s
Borrowdale
low
density
suburb.
According
to
court
documents,
Madanha
abused
his
power
as
an
employee
of
the
city
council
by
helping
a
company,
Southern
Plan
Energy
Private
Limited
(SPE)
get
first
preference.
It
is
alleged
that
SPE
approached
Madanha
in
September
2022
seeking
assistance
on
how
it
could
acquire
land
and
establish
an
LPG
Cylinder
filling
station.
Madanha
reportedly
told
the
company
to
choose
a
vacant
piece
of
land
suitable
for
its
type
of
business.
He
also
allegedly
assaulted
two
of
the
three
ZACC
officers
who
went
to
his
home
to
arrest
him.
The
State
opposed
granting
of
bail.
Prosecutor
Anesu
Chirenje
led
evidence
from
the
investigating
officer,
Addington
Mhango.
He
opposed
bail
submitting
that
Madanha
might
escape
to
Scotland,
where
his
family
resides,
if
granted
bail.
“Chances
are
high
that
he
might
abscond,”
said
the
investigating
officer
in
court.
“We
are
also
afraid
that
he
may
interfere
with
witnesses.
Upon
learning
that
there
was
an
investigation,
he
contacted
some
of
our
key
witnesses
and
tried
to
twist
their
arms
so
that
they
say
the
incorrect
details.
“The
witnesses
and
the
accused
are
also
colleagues.”
Mhango
said
they
have
recorded
six
statements
from
the
witnesses
and
five
are
yet
to
be
interviewed
in
connection
with
the
case.
“We
visited
his
home
on
March
24
and
he
opened
the
door.
“We
identified
ourselves
and
he
tried
to
close
the
door
and
he
kicked
and
punched
one
of
the
officers
who
tried
to
grab
his
arm,”
said
the
IO.
Mhango
said
Madanha
even
identified
one
of
the
officers
he
was
acquitted
with
but
still
continued
to
bash
the
officers.
Madanha
insists
he
is
innocent.
His
lawyer
Tafadzwa
Madotsa
also
told
the
court
that
his
client
has
already
been
acquitted
by
a
disciplinary
tribunal
which
determined
the
same
matter
in
November
last
year.