The trial of Fidelity Printers and Refiners chief executive Allen Marimbe is likely to pose a problem as he refused to give a statement to the police on the grounds that most of his testimony is wrapped under the veil of the Official Secrets Act.
Marimbe refused to give police his statement when he was arrested on charges of fraud and money laundering involving more than $2,6 million citing the Act.
It emerged in his fresh bail application on Friday that Marimbe would not be able to construct an intelligible defence outline for his case given the nature of his job.
Marimbe was last Tuesday locked up after the magistrates' court indicted him for trial at the High Court. His trial has been set for January 18 next year at the High Court. Following his indictment, Marimbe's bail was terminated.
His lawyers, Kantor and Immerman Legal Practitioners, instructed Advocate Tawanda Zhuwarara to apply for bail in the High Court on Friday, before Justice Happias Zhou.
Adv Zhuwarara argued that Marimbe was a suitable candidate for bail. He said his duties and responsibilities were covered by the Official Secrets Act.
Fidelity Printers and Refiners company secretary has been brought before the courts on allegations of defrauding the country's sole gold buyer of more than $120 000.
Last week, three bosses from the same company were arrested on allegations of swindling the company of close to $800 000 through underhand dealings.
When the three appeared in court, the State said that the trio's arrest could expose more corruption at the company and true to its word, the company's secretary, Terrence Tererayi Machawira (41) has joined the bandwagon.
Machawira appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Francis Mapfumo on Saturday charged with fraud involving $124 737.
He was remanded in custody to today for bail application.
Machawira's workmates, chief operating officer and finance director Godknows Hofisi (41), senior finance manager Tinashe Mumbengegwi (35) and Ronald Madhara (47), an accountant, were last week on Friday granted $2 000 bail each by magistrate Mr Vakayi Chikwekwe coupled with some stringent conditions.
As part of their bail conditions, each one of them was ordered to deposit with the Clerk of Court surety worth $100 000 and to surrender their passports.
However, they will remain in custody for the next seven days after prosecutor Mr Michael Reza invoked Section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act.
The section allows the State to hold suspects for a week while it considers appealing against the magistrate's ruling.
According to the State led by Ms Venencia Mtake, Machawira allegedly used the same fraudulent method used by Hofisi, Mumbengegwi, Madhara to defraud Fidelity Printers and Re- finers.
It is alleged that Machawira, who is a signatory to Fidelity Printers and Refiners bank account held at Stanbic Bank, ordered the bank to transfer $124 737 from Fidelity Printers and Refiners into Swisspack Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd bank account also held at Stanbic.
He misrepresented that Munemo had supplied gold to Fidelity Printers and Refiners yet in actual fact he had not supplied the yellow metal to the company.
It is alleged that Munemo would withdraw the money and share it with the accused persons.
The court heard that an internal auditor unearthed the offence on June 4.
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