Govere is the founder of the Citizens Legal Aid Society and Advisory Trust.

He appeared before magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa yesterday who released him on US$500 bail.

He was ordered to surrender the title deeds to his Waterfalls home and not to interfere with witnesses until the matter is finalised.

He was also ordered to report twice a week at the ZACC offices.

The complainant is Lydia Dambaza.

She is the executor of her late husband Justice Justen Murungu’s estate.

The court heard that Dambaza’s husband passed away in the United Kingdom last year.

For the distribution of his estate, Dambaza as the executor, engaged Govere to assist through his organisation Citizens Legal Aid Society and Advisory Trust.

Govere allegedly misrepresented himself to the widow that he was a practicing lawyer and this gave her confidence in him.

It is alleged that on July 31, Govere told Dambaza that a payment of US$7 800 was required as Master of High Court fees for the late Justin Justen Murungu’s estate

Dambaza paid the money.

Govere signed an acknowledgement of receipt of the funds and issued a copy of the acknowledgement of receipt.

Further investigations revealed that Govere then put the money to personal use and created a fake receipt number 070300.

He again went on to issue a copy of the same receipt to Dambaza purporting that the receipt had been issued by the Guardian’s Fund Account Master of the High Court of Zimbabwe’s office in honor of the payment of Master’s fees for the estate in question.

The offence came to light after Dambaza visited the Master of the High Court of Zimbabwe to verify the position of her estate and was informed that the US$7 800 was never paid.

A report was made to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.(hmetro)