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Bogus High Court judge nabbed over US$100 000 fraud

News
A BOGUS High Court judge yesterday appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court facing three counts of fraud after she sold a non-existent house for US$100 000 to an unsuspecting homeseeker

BY Harriet Chikandiwa

A BOGUS High Court judge yesterday appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court facing three counts of fraud after she sold a non-existent house for US$100 000 to an unsuspecting homeseeker.

Petners Zvabva (45), who also misrepresented herself as the daughter to the late national hero Edson Zvobgo, was not asked to plead when she appeared before magistrate Learnmore Mapiye who remanded her to today for bail application.

The complainant is Joseph Tofa of Rushinga.

Allegations are that sometime in January this year, the accused, acting in connivance with her accomplices who are still at large, connived to defraud the complainant.

Pursuant to their plan, Zvabva misrepresented that she was Nyasha Zvobgo, a High Court judge and daughter to the late national hero Zvobgo.

It is alleged that Zvabva then showed Tofa the house and the complainant expressed interest in buying it. The complainant negotiated the price and it was allegedly reduced to US$100 000, which the complainant paid in full after being shown fraudulent title deeds.

The State alleges that in March this year, Zvabva again misrepresented to the complainant that she was able to secure trucks on his behalf at affordable prices. Thereafter, the complainant, acting on the instructions of the accused, handed over $20 000 to the accused as the purchase price.

The complainant was allegedly told to wait for delivery of the truck and accompanying paperwork in respect of the alleged purchase, but was given nothing.

It was also alleged that in May this year, the accused misrepresented again to the complainant that she had the capacity to secure British visas on a fee of $10 000 since the complainant wanted to go to Britain to attend a church meeting with his four churchmates.

The State alleges that the complainant then paid Zvabva $10 000 for the visas and was given five passports, but nothing materialised, resulting in the complainant withdrawing the passports from the accused person.

The matter came to light when the complainant later discovered that the house which had been sold to him by the accused did not belong to her and that she had also sold him a non-existant truck.

He also discovered that she had no capacity to secure the promised visas, prompting him to make a police report, leading to Zvabva’s arrest.

The accused’s actions caused Tofa to suffer financial prejudice of

US$100 000 and $30 000 and nothing was recovered.

The State was represented by Sebastian Mutizirwa.