DE-REGISTERED Harare lawyer Tichaona Mawere, accused of generating fake High Court orders and swindling unsuspecting clients, will remain behind bars after his application for bail was thrown out yesterday.
REPORT BY CHARLES LAITON
Justice Felistus Chatukuta refused to postpone Mawere’s bail application after his lawyer failed to turn up for hearing prompting the court to strike the matter off the roll.
Mawere was thrown behind bars early this month by Harare Magistrate Donald Ndirowei after ruling him as unsuitable for bail since he was facing four counts of fraud.
Ndirowei also said Mawere had the potential to commit similar offences since he was arrested while on bail on other fraud matters.
However, Mawere argued in his application at the High Court that Ndirowei misdirected himself in denying him bail.
Allegations against Mawere are that sometime in July 2008, he was approached by Hope Chikukwa who was working in Australia seeking a divorce and custody order for her child she wanted to take with her to Australia.
Mawere, it is alleged, demanded R800 for processing an interim order and an additional R2 500 for the divorce application and Chikukwa paid the sums in full.
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Despite having been deregistered in 2010, Mawere is alleged to have generated a fake custody order which he sent via e-mail to Chikukwa for use in Australia.
The offence came to light when Australian authorities contacted Harare Civil Court for verification of the orders and it was established they were fake resulting in her failing to obtain a permit for her child.
Another complainant in the other matter was cited as Shelton Mahuni, a partner in Mahuni and Matutu Attorneys.
On April 25 this year, Mahuni received information that his law firm was issuing out fake court orders.
After inquiries, Mahuni discovered that Mawere had allegedly misrepresented to a Kadoma miner Munyaradzi Bidi that he was a lawyer and went on to produce a fake eviction court order purportedly issued at the High Court by Justice Joseph Musakwa.
It is alleged Bidi was made to pay for services believing Mawere was a genuine lawyer and used the fake eviction orders that were later challenged leading to his arrest. Public Mpofu appeared for the State.
