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Fungai Lupande Court Reporter—
MDC-T official Thabani Mpofu, accused with three other people of compiling illegal “dockets” against Government officers in breach of the Official Secrets Act, last Thursday told a court that The Herald is his favourite newspaper. In their application for refusal of further remand before Harare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe, Mpofu said he expected President Mugabe or security agents to summon him to submit their findings because a person they compiled a “docket” on was not under State investigation.

Mpofu, Felix Matsinde, Mehluli Tshuma (all former public prosecutors) and Warship Dumba (a former Harare councillor), are facing charges of impersonating the police, possessing articles for criminal use and breaching the Official Secrets Act.

Mpofu said: “My favourite newspaper these days, The Herald is awash with cases of corruption and the President himself has come out strongly against corruption.

“One of the people we were investigating for corruption is currently under investigation by security agents and we are expecting to be called anytime by the President himself or security agents to submit our findings.”

Prosecutor Mr Michael Reza told the court that he had not been given notice of the application and needed time to verify certain issues.
Magistrate Mr Mahwe postponed the matter to today.

The State says last year detectives received information that the quartet was in possession of “dockets” they were privately compiling to discredit the judicial system.

They claimed that the police and the AG had failed or refused to investigate corruption involving prominent Government officials.
It is alleged the four had documents of Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri’s background and another titled “Case for a full investigation into the Ministry of Lands — System of issuing offer letters 1 September, 2009”.

A team of detectives went to Mpofu’s residence and found some of the documents, including a laptop and a pistol.
The State alleges that the suspects indicated that they were legal advisors to the Prime Minister and researching on alleged corruption and criminal abuse of office and the appointment of Comm-Gen Chihuri.

Investigations also revealed that the accused were being bankrolled by the Institute for a Democratic Alternative for Zimbabwe, the court heard.