Man accused of impersonating Deputy Chief Justice

A 23-year-old Harare man has appeared in court facing allegations of impersonating Deputy Chief Justice Paddington Garwe in an attempt to obtain information about upcoming Judicial Service Commission (JSC) recruitment interviews.

Martin Rashai appeared before Harare magistrate Artwell Sanyatwe on Saturday charged with impersonating a public officer.

He was remanded in custody to today for a bail hearing.

According to the State, the complainant in the matter is the Judicial Service Commission of Zimbabwe.

Prosecutors allege that on May 5, JSC deputy head of human resources Sekeni Tafadzwa and human resources officer Abigail Ziti received WhatsApp messages from a mobile number allegedly used by Rashai.

The accused is alleged to have identified himself as Deputy Chief Justice Garwe and requested information regarding the date of interviews for Information Technology officer positions.

The court heard that he also allegedly inquired about a transport officer vacancy at Kwekwe Magistrates' Court.

State papers indicate that the inquiries immediately raised suspicion among JSC officials because it was unusual for a Constitutional Court judge to make direct inquiries about junior vacancies or to bypass established administrative channels.

The officials reportedly informed the sender that they were uncertain about the interview schedule.

Ziti allegedly asked where he was stationed, and the sender reportedly responded that he was based at the Constitutional Court. Believing she was communicating with the Deputy Chief Justice, she allegedly provided the requested information.

The court heard that Ziti later attempted to verify the communication by calling the number, but it was unreachable. A WhatsApp call also went unanswered, although the sender allegedly replied via text message requesting that communication continue through messages.

She subsequently asked the sender to confirm whether he was indeed Deputy Chief Justice Garwe, and he allegedly reaffirmed that he was.

Suspicions deepened after Ziti contacted the Superior Courts human resources department to verify whether any official inquiries had been made regarding the vacancies and was reportedly informed that no such engagement had occurred.

On May 6, she checked Deputy Chief Justice Garwe's official contact details in the JSC human resources system and personnel records and allegedly discovered that the number used to contact her did not correspond with any official records.

The following day, Ziti reportedly informed Tafadzwa, who indicated that he had also been contacted by the same number.

An internal investigation was launched and allegedly established that the sender had impersonated the Deputy Chief Justice.

The matter was escalated to JSC deputy secretary Katsande on May 8 before being reported to the police.

Investigations reportedly revealed that Rashai had previously applied for a vacancy at the Judicial Service Commission using his personal details, which assisted investigators in tracing him.

He was subsequently arrested in Hurungwe.

The court heard that police obtained a search and seizure warrant directing NetOne Zimbabwe to provide subscriber information and call records linked to the number allegedly used in the offence.

According to prosecutors, NetOne confirmed that the mobile line was registered in Rashai's name.

The matter is expected to continue following the determination of his bail application.