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Passion Java's sister gets 5 years in jail
5 hrs ago |
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Mavis Java Madzivanza, the sister of Passion Java, has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of defrauding property buyers by selling nine non-existent residential stands.
Madzivanza was convicted alongside her accomplice, Pauline Gutsa, following a full trial. The pair, who are co-directors of Segimel Investments, were found guilty of misrepresenting that they were selling legitimate stands in upmarket Harare suburbs.
Prosecutor Oscar Madhume successfully proved that the duo duped several businesspeople, including Farai Chikiwa, Naledi Maunganidze, and Fortune Rukara, out of a combined US$119,000.
According to court findings, the accused sold stands purportedly located in Milton Park, Vainona, Logan Park and Gunhill. They even produced what appeared to be official subdivision plans from the City of Harare to support their claims.
However, the victims later discovered the fraud after verifying with the local authority that the stands did not exist in its database.
In one of the cases, Chikiwa paid US$97,450 as a deposit for nine stands through a lawyer's trust account after being promised offer letters that never materialised. Another victim, Rukara, lost US$20,000 after purchasing a stand in Greendale that was later confirmed not to be residential land.
The scam dates back to 2019, when the accused allegedly misrepresented ownership and availability of the properties to unsuspecting buyers.
Madzivanza is also facing additional legal trouble in a separate case involving allegations of theft of trust property. Prosecutor Dzidzai Josiah alleges that she violated a rental agreement with Palm Car Rental.
It is alleged that she hired a Honda Vezel for US$60 per day but stopped making payments earlier this year. Investigations later revealed that she had allegedly handed over the vehicle as collateral for a loan to a car dealer, Billy Chigwaza, who subsequently sold it after she failed to repay the loan.
The vehicle was eventually recovered in Mutare last week.
Madzivanza is currently in custody at Chikurubi Female Prison, where she remains as she faces the pending charges.
Madzivanza was convicted alongside her accomplice, Pauline Gutsa, following a full trial. The pair, who are co-directors of Segimel Investments, were found guilty of misrepresenting that they were selling legitimate stands in upmarket Harare suburbs.
Prosecutor Oscar Madhume successfully proved that the duo duped several businesspeople, including Farai Chikiwa, Naledi Maunganidze, and Fortune Rukara, out of a combined US$119,000.
According to court findings, the accused sold stands purportedly located in Milton Park, Vainona, Logan Park and Gunhill. They even produced what appeared to be official subdivision plans from the City of Harare to support their claims.
However, the victims later discovered the fraud after verifying with the local authority that the stands did not exist in its database.
The scam dates back to 2019, when the accused allegedly misrepresented ownership and availability of the properties to unsuspecting buyers.
Madzivanza is also facing additional legal trouble in a separate case involving allegations of theft of trust property. Prosecutor Dzidzai Josiah alleges that she violated a rental agreement with Palm Car Rental.
It is alleged that she hired a Honda Vezel for US$60 per day but stopped making payments earlier this year. Investigations later revealed that she had allegedly handed over the vehicle as collateral for a loan to a car dealer, Billy Chigwaza, who subsequently sold it after she failed to repay the loan.
The vehicle was eventually recovered in Mutare last week.
Madzivanza is currently in custody at Chikurubi Female Prison, where she remains as she faces the pending charges.
Source - H-Metro
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