News / National
Lawyer charged with fraud
03 May 2013 at 22:46hrs | Views
Deregistered lawyer Tichaona Mawere, accused of generating fake court orders and swindling unsuspecting people, including an Australian-based woman, yesterday appeared in court charged with fraud.
Mawere (35), who was represented by Mr Benjamin Chidenga of James Makiya Legal Practitioners, was not formally charged when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Don Ndirowei who remanded him in custody to Monday next week for bail hearing.
The complainant in the first matter is Hope Chikukwa. Prosecutor Miss Junior Mugebe alleges that in July 2008, Mawere was approached by Ms Chikukwa who was working in Australia. She wanted a divorce and custody order for her child so that she would be able to take her to Australia.
Mawere, it is alleged, demanded R800 for processing of an interim order and an additional R2 500 for the divorce application and Ms Chikukwa paid in full. The lawyer, who was deregistered in 2010, is alleged to have generated a fake custody order which he sent via e-mail to Ms Chikukwa and as a result she suffered a prejudice of R3 300 and nothing was recovered.
The complainant in the other matter is Mr Shelton Mahuni, a partner in Mahuni and Matutu Attorneys. On April 25 Mr Mahuni received information that his law firm was issuing out fake court orders. On inquiring, it is alleged, Mr Mahuni discovered that Mawere was the one who had misrepresented to a Kadoma miner, Mr Munyaradzi Bidi, and went on to produce a fake court order purportedly issued at the High Court of Zimbabwe by Justice Joseph Musakwa. Through Mawere's actions, the State says Mr Bidi was made to pay for services believing that he was a genuine lawyer.
Mawere (35), who was represented by Mr Benjamin Chidenga of James Makiya Legal Practitioners, was not formally charged when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Don Ndirowei who remanded him in custody to Monday next week for bail hearing.
The complainant in the first matter is Hope Chikukwa. Prosecutor Miss Junior Mugebe alleges that in July 2008, Mawere was approached by Ms Chikukwa who was working in Australia. She wanted a divorce and custody order for her child so that she would be able to take her to Australia.
The complainant in the other matter is Mr Shelton Mahuni, a partner in Mahuni and Matutu Attorneys. On April 25 Mr Mahuni received information that his law firm was issuing out fake court orders. On inquiring, it is alleged, Mr Mahuni discovered that Mawere was the one who had misrepresented to a Kadoma miner, Mr Munyaradzi Bidi, and went on to produce a fake court order purportedly issued at the High Court of Zimbabwe by Justice Joseph Musakwa. Through Mawere's actions, the State says Mr Bidi was made to pay for services believing that he was a genuine lawyer.
Source - Herald
