The four Cameroonian nationals, who allegedly falsified information and fraudulently acquired Zimbabwean birth certificates and passports, have been further remanded in custody pending a ruling on their application to be removed from remand.
Duma Ebako Christiana Boyombe (39), Yvette Kum Noam (24), Marvel Ngeyi Tegha (28) and Emile Muya Muya (23) are facing charges of bribery and contravening the Birth and Death Registration Act.
Through their lawyer, Mr Tinashe Mpala, the Cameroonians are challenging their placement on remand arguing that their case was already dealt with at Beitbridge Magistrates Court where they were convicted and sentenced and now await deportation. They are challenging the splitting of the charges.
The investigating officer is Detective Sergeant Shaibu currently stationed at CID Stores and Business Harare.
Prosecutor Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti alleged that between July 7 and September 16 this year the four sent US$3,200 from Cameroon through Western Union to bribe Registrar General Department employees. They allegedly collaborated with Tafadzwa Chiundiza, a Zimbabwean currently on remand, to facilitate the bribe.
Chiundiza, along with Leona Patience Funga and another individual known only as Jeff, paid US$440 to Tawanda Wanira, a Mount Darwin Registrar General Department employee, to process fraudulent birth certificates for the four Cameroonians.
These certificates bore Zimbabwean names: Chistiana Mhereyenyoka, Marvel Chimbwanda, Yvette Maini, and Emile Chingwaru with the names of the parents also being made up.
The money was transferred into Wanira's Ecocash account through agent Obert Mutandi, who then gave US$90 to Mike Kudzai Chikumba and Titos Mutandwa for processing identity documents at the Epworth Sub-Office in Harare.
Using these fraudulent documents, the four accused applied for Zimbabwean passports at the Registrar General Department in Harare on September 17 and received them on September 19. The cleaners and department's staff who helped them through the process have also been arrested and remanded.
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The crime came to light when they were arrested at Beitbridge Border Post intending to travel to South Africa and immigration staff became suspicious when they found a group of people with typical Zimbabwean names could not understand a single word in the languages connected to those names, and investigated further.
