The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has arrested eight Civil Registry Department staff who work at the passport office in Harare.
This comes after four Cameroonian nationals were intercepted at Beitbridge trying to enter South Africa using freshly issued Zimbabwean passports.
As reported by ZimLive, the suspects are Romeo Shonhiwa, 44, of Eastview Phase 2 in Harare, Marrian Roman, 40, of Glaudina Park, Lackmore Chinokokora, 34, of Eastview Phase 4, Grace Kapungu, 35, of Glen View 1, Chiedza Hlomani, 34, of Marlbereign, Maureen Natasha Munemo, 32, of Glen View 1, Tanaka Magaya, 28, of Sunningdale 3, and Edith Moto, 38, of Ruwa.
They have been charged with criminal abuse of office as public officers for their roles in the issuance of the passports.
The four Cameroonian nationals were arrested at Beitbridge with newly issued Zimbabwean passports bearing Shona names, despite none of them being able to speak the language.
The foreign nationals were charged with fraud and identified on the passports with names like Emile Chingwaru, Christiana Mhereyenyoka, Yvette Maini, and Marvel Chimbwanda, all from Mount Darwin.
It is alleged that the Cameroonians first obtained birth certificates in Mount Darwin before claiming to have lost their identity documents at the registry office in Harare, where they were then issued replacement passports.
They each paid $170 for an ordinary passport, which was printed and collected just two days later on September 19, instead of the typical seven-day processing time.
The ZRP suspects a racket involving officials from the Registrar General’s office and cleaners, who allegedly took large sums of cash from the Cameroonians to facilitate the corrupt issuance of the passports.
Two general hands, Neria Sombi and Trymore Chipanga, employed by Andivest, have also been interviewed by the police after CCTV footage showed them assisting the suspects with the passport application process.
The footage also showed one of the accused, Tanaka Magaya, being handed money by a woman suspected to be part of the racket.
The Cameroonians have told investigators they paid US$1,500 each for the passports, intending to use them to enter South Africa and seek passage to the United Kingdom.
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