Prominent Bulawayo businessman Jorum Chiyangwa was allegedly caught red- handed and arrested Wednesday morning outside a coffee shop in the city, as he tried to bribe a provincial magistrate to influence the court not to pass a custodial sentence on his friend, a fraud convict.
Chiyangwa runs a private security and construction firm.
His friend, Canaan Maibvise, was convicted last week for defrauding a 63-year-old woman Winnie Matanganyidze of her house in Romney Park suburb. The court heard that Maibvise connived with the woman’s son Munyaradzi Matanganyidze and forged an agreement of sale document purporting she had sold the house to the former.
Contacted for comment, Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza who is the Criminal Investigations Department coordinator for Matabeleland region said he had not been briefed about the arrest.
It is alleged after Maibvise’s conviction, Chiyangwa contacted the magistrate, Ntombizodwa Mazhandu, on Tuesday, a day before she passed sentence with the intention of bribing her so she would give his friend a non-custodial sentence.
Mazhandu is alleged to have agreed and the two met at Haefelis Coffee Shop along Fife Street for the transaction.
However, Mazhandu informed the police and a trap was set.
Yesterday, she went to the coffee shop as agreed and Chiyangwa was arrested by detectives as soon as he handed $300 over to the magistrate.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Meanwhile, Maibvise was yesterday sentenced to an effective five-year jail term.
Charges against him are that on June 26 2007, Matanganyidze leased her house to Maibvise for a period of one-and-a-half years.
He made an advance payment of Z$52 500 000 to cover a period of one year and thereafter he was supposed to pay monthly rentals at an agreed rate.
However, Maibvise connived with Munyaradzi and made an agreement of sale purporting Matanganyidze had entered into it with Maibvise.
When she went to collect her rentals from Maibvise, she learnt that an agreement of sale had been drafted between her and Maibvise and that she should surrender her title deeds.
She made a report to the police, leading to the arrest of Maibvise and Munyaradzi.
