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The person who fell victim to the convict was at the courts on routine remand.
Cliff Muza was yesterday arraigned before Gweru provincial magistrate, Mr Sithembinkosi Msipa to answer to a charge of fraud.
He was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to the 21st of this month.
For the State, Mr Michael Mhene told the court that on the 24th of last month and at the Gweru magistrates’ court, Muza who was serving a community service sentence, approached Mr Collins Chikoho (42) who had come as an accused person on routine remand.
Mr Mhene said Muza then posed as a court official and indicated to Chikoho that he had strong links with one senior magistrates at the Gweru courts, Mr Vakai Douglas Chikwekwe.
He said the accused indicated that he could engage Mr Chikwekwe to assist in throwing away his case.
The court heard that Muza then demanded Chikoho’s defence outline, which he purportedly said he wanted to take to Mr Chikwekwe.
Muza, the court heard, however, went into the court building corridors and came back to Chikoho through the other end of the corridor with the defence outline, which now had some markings that were meant to give the impression that the defence outline had been corrected.
Mr Mhene said Muza made the markings while in the court corridors but lied to Chikoho that the “corrections” were made by Mr Chikwekwe.
The court heard that Muza then demanded some money from Chikoho so that Mr Chikwekwe could “throw away” the case. He said Chikoho, however, became suspicious after realising Muza was rushing the process and reported the matter to the police leading to his arrest.
Muza was serving a community service sentence on a different case in which he masqueraded as a close friend of the Midlands State University Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Rungano Zvobgo and duped a city man of his cash after promising him a job at MSU.
Online Reporter