Denis Madondo, a suspect in the US$2.7 million ZB heist, has contested the charges brought against him for money laundering, arguing that it is unreasonable for the State to pursue him on these grounds after he was acquitted of the bank robbery.
Madondo expressed that it made no sense for him to face charges related to the same money in a case where he had already been cleared of any criminal activity.
His defense was presented during the start of his trial in front of Harare magistrate Taurai Manuwere.
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The State claims that Madondo went on a spending spree using the stolen funds, alleging that he purchased a Mercedes Benz valued at US$9,000 and was found with US$62,500 in cash. Prosecutors contend that Madondo failed to provide an explanation for the source of the money.
However, Madondo denied the allegations, pointing out that the facts the State was using were the same as those in the robbery case, in which he was acquitted.
He argued, “The property in question is now an exhibit in the current money laundering case, where it is once again suspected to have been acquired through an unspecified crime. The act of possessing the US$62,500 and the Mercedes, in both cases, involves the same alleged offense—holding property suspected to have been obtained through illegal means.”
Madondo further stated, “If this trial proceeds, it would mean I’m being tried for a crime I was already acquitted of, namely having possession of the cash and the car, which were suspected to have been acquired through unlawful activities.”
Madondo was arrested alongside Tendai Zuze, Never Mwamuka, and Shadreck Njowa, in connection with the theft of US$2.7 million intended for delivery to several ZB Bank branches in Chinhoyi. Zuze was acquitted by the High Court last year after the prosecution’s evidence was deemed insufficient to establish his involvement in the crime.
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