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Yeukai Karengezeka Court Correspondent
Well-known comedienne Felitus Murata, known as Mai TT, now has to present her defence after the prosecution established a case that she had borrowed US$10 000 first using a hired car as security, then a stolen car, and then an invalid passport.
Harare magistrate Mrs Munashe Chibanda on Wednesday dismissed Murata’s application for discharge at the close of the State case on her charges of fraud and theft of trust property.
The defence opens on May 24.
Allegations are that sometime in September last year at corner Second Street and Speke Avenue in Harare, Murata borrowed US$10 000 from Ms Rachel Mhuka and handed over a Mercedes Benz vehicle, registration number AFF9759, as surety for the loan which she undertook to pay back by November 30 last year.
She allegedly did this well knowing that the vehicle did not belong to her and was hired.
Murata later claimed back the Mercedes Benz saying it did not belong to her and handed over another vehicle, an Audi Q5 with registration AFG3701.
This car she again retrieved and replaced with an invalid passport as surety.
When Ms Mhuka realised that the passport was invalid, she confronted Murata who immediately returned the second vehicle.
But in January this year, police from Rhodesville approached Ms Mhuka and seized the car saying it had been stolen from Else Event Car Hire.
This was after the company reported Murata for theft of trust property.
Online Reporter