CRIMINAL Investigation Department (CID) boss Chrispen Charumbira has been cleared of wrongdoing in four counts related to criminal abuse of office following his arrest in 2020.

He was found not guilty in all counts, with presiding magistrate Ngoni Nduna ruling the State's case too weak.

Nduna added that officers who testified against Charumbira only wanted vengeance after he transferred them from CID to duty uniforms.

"Circumstances showed that the matter was not factual but rather a fabrication made by disgruntled former employees," said the magistrate.

Charumbira was accused of blocking investigations and prosecution of criminals involved in illegal gold and drug dealings.

In one occasion, the State alleged that sometime in 2019, police officers tried to arrest David Crosby from Murambi, Mutare for possession of gold without a license.

Prosecutors said the officers escorted the alleged suspect to Mutare central police station where they briefed one Detective Inspector Felix Machaka who was the officer in charge.

Crosby then allegedly contacted Charumbira who ordered Machaka to release the suspect without confirmation of existence of a license or recording the exhibit.

He reportedly told the officer in charge to not press any charges but to return the recovered gold to the suspect.

Machaka was said to have complied with the instruction and no arrest was made.

All these were however said to be false allegations as there was no proper voice identification of the caller who claimed to be Charumbira.