Commissioner Chihuri Orders Trial Of Commissioner Gideon Baloyi For Gross Insubordination And Backbiting.

Police Assistant Commissioner Gideon Baloyi, 54, could find himself jobless as early as next week after Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri is said to have ordered his trial for gross insubordination and backbiting.

Police sources said at the weekend that an internal trial for the troublesome cop was set for early this week and would be presided over by a magistrate.

If found guilty, a suitability board will be constituted this coming Friday, to determine if he was still fit to continue serving in the police force.

“Chihuri is upset with Baloyi for his insubordination and making corruption allegations against him through the press,” said the source on condition of anonymity.

The source further revealed Baloyi has opted to be tried outside the force’s internal systems as he fears Chihuri could easily influence his conviction.

Baloyi, who has never hidden his love for President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF, hit the headlines last year when he was convicted by a Harare magistrate for “defeating the course of justice”.

This followed allegations he had ordered his juniors to release one Nevermind Kufakunesu, who had been arrested for defrauding a chicken businessman of $21,000 worth of chickens.

Baloyi was slapped with a nine year jail term but successfully appealed against both sentence and conviction through the High Court after tasting prison life for weeks. He returned to work November last year.

But convinced that his conviction was engineered by Chihuri and his aides, Baloyi conceived his own form of revenge.

He penned a petition to then Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi demanding Chihuri’s probe for allegedly applying the law so religiously on him alone while protecting some senior cops who have equally committed heinous crimes.

He cited a case in which one serving senior cop who allegedly shot dead a street kid accusing him of stealing a mobile phone from him and has not been prosecuted.

“Defeating the course of justice, according to my understanding, applies equally to all public office holders, police officers included. The million dollar question is, ‘will they ever stand trial or they will simply go scot-free?’” Baloyi said.

He also added a Zanu PF factional perspective to the dispute.

“I feel that my persecution came about as a result of positive campaigns for our highly principled and God-given leader, President R G Mugabe.