By A Correspondent

Mutare, Zimbabwe — In a major crackdown on corruption within the justice system, two police officers and a public prosecutor have been arrested and arraigned before the Mutare Magistrates’ Court on charges of criminal abuse of duty.

Sencia Masase, Liberty Tivakudze, and Shepherd Chavarika were granted bail at US$100 each after being implicated in a scheme involving the illegal solicitation of bribes for the release of a truck allegedly used to transport smuggled goods from Mozambique.

The case dates back to March 2025, when the first complainant’s truck was seized at a roadblock in Marara by Accused 1, Sencia Masase, who was also the investigating officer. A second complainant, believed to be the owner of the suspected contraband, was detained at Mutasa Police Station, and the truck was impounded.

By April 3, Constable Liberty Tivakudze (Accused 2) allegedly contacted the truck owner, asking her to come to Hauna to discuss the release of her vehicle. There, she met both Tivakudze and Public Prosecutor Shepherd Chavarika (Accused 3), who reportedly demanded a US$500 bribe. Under duress, the complainant handed over US$170 to Chavarika, and was later instructed to make an Ecocash payment of US$100.

Chavarika promised the truck would be released by April 9, despite it having already been transferred to ZIMRA offices at Forbes Border Post. The prosecutor then made a further demand of US$300 to facilitate the acquittal of the second complainant and the vehicle’s release.

Realizing the extent of the corruption, the complainant reported the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC). A trap was swiftly arranged, leading to the dramatic arrest of the accused inside Chavarika’s office at Mutasa Magistrates’ Court, where US$200 in marked bills was recovered.

The arrests have sent shockwaves through the community, underscoring ongoing challenges in Zimbabwe’s fight against systemic corruption. Authorities have vowed to continue rooting out graft within public institutions.