adminAuxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
TWO Bulawayo High Court officials yesterday appeared in court facing fraud charges for allegedly duping a man of $300. The Assistant Sheriff, Prosper Moyo, 26, and Assistant Registrar, Moses Mketiwa Muna, 47, were not asked to plead when they appeared before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Tinashe Tashaya.
Moyo and Muna, through their lawyers Russell Dzete and Shepherd Chamunorwa, applied for and were each granted $100 bail by Tashaya. The duo will be back in court on September 16.
The court ordered them not to interfere with state witnesses as part of their bail conditions. The prosecutor, Nkathazo Dlodlo, said on August 27 this year at around 12 noon, Henry Mhlanga went to the Sheriff’s office in the city centre intending to collect a letter of confirmation for a house he had purchased at an auction.
“While at the Sheriff’s offices, he met one Precious Ruzive who phoned Moyo who was out of office to come and attend to Mhlanga. Moyo directed Ruzive to inform Mhlanga that a sum of $300 was required as administration fees.
“Mhlanga immediately left the offices to look for the money,” said Dlodlo.
The court heard that on August 28, Moyo contacted Muna who brought a fake Zimbabwe Government receipt for Moyo to fill in.
“Moyo filled in the fake receipt and wrote Mhlanga’s details before endorsing an amount of $300. He date stamped the receipt and kept it,” said Dlodlo.
“On the same day Mhlanga made his payment and was issued with the fake receipt. He, however, wasn’t satisfied with the payment that he had made and approached Elijah Magara who is an additional Sheriff of the High Court in order to verify the payment.”
Dlodlo said upon analysing the receipt and payment, Magara discovered that the amount was not due and that the receipt was fake. He alerted detectives based at the CID Fraud section.
“Moyo was allegedly cornered by the detectives at the Office of the Deputy Sherriff when Magara called him into his office and confronted him about the payment and receipt. Moyo surrendered the money and receipt without noticing the presence of detectives who immediately arrested him,” Dlodlo said.
The prosecutor said upon being questioned about the origins of the fake receipts, Moyo implicated Muna as the source.
He immediately called Muna to bring another blank receipt purporting that he had another client.
“Muna came in with another fake receipt and was arrested as well. He was questioned and led detectives to his office located at the High Court where a bunch of fake receipts was recovered in a khaki envelope hidden at the bottom of his drawer,” said Dlodlo.
Online Reporter