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(THEZIMBABWETIMES) Magistrate suspended over corruption

Magistrate suspended over corruption
By Our Correspondent
March 21, 2010

BULAWAYO – A senior Bulawayo magistrate was suspended on Friday on charges of corruption after he allegedly secretly granted bail to two city council employees who had been remanded in custody by a junior magistrate.

Magistrate Singandu Jele based at Bulawayo’s Tredgold Magistrate Courts was suspended by Matabeleland regional senior magistrate John Masimba for allegedly violating Section 44 of the Public Service Regulations 2000.

“You are hereby suspended from work with immediate effect because your act was inconsistent with or prejudicial to the discharge of your official duties and also included abuse of office,” reads part of the letter of suspension signed by Masimba, which was shown to The Zimbabwe Times.

Allegations against Jele are that on December 11 2009, two Bulawayo City council employees were convicted of fraud by a junior magistrate Ntombizodwa Mazhandu.

The fraud involved a 30 000 Rand deal for a housing stand in the city

The council employees, Mandlenkosi Ncube and Mthandazo Ndlovu, were remanded in custody to January 6 for sentence after pleading guilty to fraud before Mazhandu.

The following day the pair applied for bail pending sentence, but Mazhandu declined to grant them bail and instructed they should be sent back to remand prison.

However, on the evening of the same day, Jele allegedly secretly granted the pair US$100 bail each in exchange for a certain amount of money.

There has been an upsurge in the number of judicial officers involved in corruption over recent years. Observers blame this on poor salaries.

Magistrates currently earn salaries as low as US$200.

Last year the country’s judicial system was grounded to a halt after magistrates and prosecutors went on strike to demand more pay and better working conditions.

The strike by the magistrates came a few months after the government gave judges of the High and Supreme Courts luxurious cars, computers and plasma screen television sets as part of their perks.

Labels: BULAWAYO, MDC CORRUPTION

posted by MrK @ 3:17 PM