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Crime Reporter
ASSISTANT Commissioner Gideon Baloyi has been deployed to Masvingo as officer commanding operations in the province. He replaces Assistant Commissioner William Tadyanemhandu who has been transferred to Police General Headquarters in Harare.

Asst Comm Baloyi was briefly jailed on allegations of corruptly facilitating the release of a fraud suspect, but the High Court cleared him last month.

Justice Francis Bere, sitting with Justice Charles Hungwe, found Asst Comm Baloyi not guilty of the charges of putting the police force into disrepute by corruptly instructing a junior officer to release a fraud suspect.

The decision was made after an appeal by Asst Comm Baloyi’s lawyer Mr Misheck Hogwe of Hogwe Dzimirai and Partners.

Quashing the conviction and sentence imposed on Asst Comm Baloyi — Justice Bere said there was no credible evidence confirming that the senior officer interfered with the case.

Asst Comm Baloyi — who was a staff officer at the Police General Headquarters in Harare — was jailed by magistrate Mr Elijah Makomo for trying to protect Nevermind Kufakunesu, accused of swindling a local businessman Mr Batsirayi Mupindu of chickens worth US$21 000.