Lighthouse Christian Church pastor and musician Herman Chimusoro has spoken out about how the police falsely accused him of swindling them of US$192 000 meant to purchase musical instruments for the police band.
The pastor was arrested last year in December facing theft of trust property charges and spent over a month in remand prison.
It was claimed that in May last year Chief Superintendent Fungai Marange of the police Staff College engaged Chimusoro to supply the force with musical instruments. The claim is that he failed to deliver these.
Chimusoro allegedly charged US$192 000 and was paid in July and September. Prosecutors said on November 14 Chimusoro supplied eight speakers to the police which were of low value and they were subsequently returned.
It was also claimed that Chimusoro had confessed to misusing the money, which was meant for purchasing the musical instruments.
The case was however dismissed with the magistrate ruling that, “there is no evidence upon which a reasonable court, acting carefully, might properly convict the accused person for the offence of theft of trust property.”
In an interview with Nehanda Radio, Pastor Chimusoro revealed how the police bought the instruments from his company because “these people are not able to buy equipment outside the country because of sanctions.”
Pastor Chimusoro claims he was victimized for nothing as it was clearly drawn up in the contract that the instruments would take over 12 months to be delivered. He says he has done a lot of work for the police including training their sound engineers and setting up equipment for police pass-out parades.
“They made me a public spectacle by deliberately making me walk around the Charge office area back and forth with hands and feet cuffed for no apparent reason,” he said during the interview.
In prison he was denied access to his arthritis medication and caught a severe infection in his left leg. He faced the real prospect of amputation at one point.
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| Herman Chimusoro |
It was claimed that in May last year Chief Superintendent Fungai Marange of the police Staff College engaged Chimusoro to supply the force with musical instruments. The claim is that he failed to deliver these.
Chimusoro allegedly charged US$192 000 and was paid in July and September. Prosecutors said on November 14 Chimusoro supplied eight speakers to the police which were of low value and they were subsequently returned.
It was also claimed that Chimusoro had confessed to misusing the money, which was meant for purchasing the musical instruments.
The case was however dismissed with the magistrate ruling that, “there is no evidence upon which a reasonable court, acting carefully, might properly convict the accused person for the offence of theft of trust property.”
In an interview with Nehanda Radio, Pastor Chimusoro revealed how the police bought the instruments from his company because “these people are not able to buy equipment outside the country because of sanctions.”
Pastor Chimusoro claims he was victimized for nothing as it was clearly drawn up in the contract that the instruments would take over 12 months to be delivered. He says he has done a lot of work for the police including training their sound engineers and setting up equipment for police pass-out parades.
“They made me a public spectacle by deliberately making me walk around the Charge office area back and forth with hands and feet cuffed for no apparent reason,” he said during the interview.
In prison he was denied access to his arthritis medication and caught a severe infection in his left leg. He faced the real prospect of amputation at one point.
