The Sunday News
Richard Muponde Sunday News Correspondent
THE docket for a 21-year-old man arrested at the Plumtree Border Post while trying to smuggle 6,2 kilogrammes of gold valued at $241 282 into Botswana is now complete and the matter is expected to be heard next month at the Bulawayo Magistrates Courts. Alan Courtney Rory Mulil of Kadoma, who is employed as a mine manager at Big Boom Mine, was arrested at the border post enroute to Botswana in May.
He initially appeared before Plumtree magistrate Mr Gideon Ruvetsa facing charges of possessing gold without a licence and smuggling.
He was granted $500 bail and ordered to report to a police station in Kadoma twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.
Mulil is also expected to remain resident at his given address in Sabonabona area.
His lawyer, Mr Tanaka Muganyi, last week confirmed the new development.
“Yes the matter is going to be at the Bulawayo Regional Court on 3 September after all the investigations have been done. He will be tried coming from outside prison since he is on bail,” said Mr Muganyi.
Mulil was arrested at the Plumtree Border Post after detectives who searched his vehicle found two gold bars hidden in the car’s windscreen wiper compartment.
They conducted the search after receiving a tip-off that Mulil, who was travelling to Francistown under the pretext of shopping, was actually smuggling gold into the neighbouring country.
The prosecutor, Mr Stanley Chinyang’anya, said Mulil was arrested while driving a Toyota Hilux vehicle.
He said the alleged gold smuggler arrived at the border post around 10am and went through all Zimra and immigration formalities.
Mulil was later intercepted by police detectives from the minerals and border control unit who indicated that they wanted to search his vehicle for gold while at the Plumtree Border exit gate.
He said Mulil agreed but indicated that he did not have any gold as he was travelling for the purposes of shopping.
During their search police detectives recovered a size 12 spanner at the back of the driver’s seat.
They then used the spanner to open the windscreen wiper compartment where they recovered two bars of smelted gold wrapped in brown sellotape.
Mulil was asked to produce a gold licence or permit to possess gold but failed to do so, leading to his immediate arrest.
Mr Chinyang’anya said Mulil also failed to produce a gold export licence and declaration form.
He said the gold had a total weight of 6,2kg and was valued at $241 281.
The Government set up teams to monitor gold production on a monthly basis as a means to curtail leakages by ensuring that the mineral is channelled to Fidelity Printers for refining.
The country is losing millions through gold leakages on a monthly basis as smugglers are taking the yellow metal across borders in search of higher prices.
