Online Reporter
Prosper Dembedza
Herald Correspondent
A CHIKURUBI Maximum Security Prison inmate already serving time for fraud has been handed a further six-year jail term after being convicted of perjury for submitting fake agreement of sale documents in a botched property deal, with the intention to deceive the High Court of Zimbabwe.
Washington Ferera (41), who pleaded not guilty, was sentenced by Harare regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje. Initially sentenced to seven years, one year was suspended on condition of good behaviour, leaving him with an effective six-year imprisonment.
The court heard that Ferera, together with his wife, Scholastic Muringai—who remains at large—orchestrated a scheme to illegally transfer ownership of an immovable property. The property in question is Lot 358 of Prospect, measuring 25.1499 hectares.
Prosecutor Cecilia Mashingaidze outlined that between January and March 2018, Ferera and Muringai, with the intent to deceive, signed a back-dated fake agreement of sale. In the document, Ferera purported to represent the seller, while Muringai acted as the representative of the purported buyer, Shomet Industrial Holdings Private Limited.
The State proved that by attaching this fraudulent agreement to a founding affidavit in High Court case HC2670/2018, Muringai misled the court. This misrepresentation resulted in the High Court and other authorities transferring the title deeds from Shomet Industrial Holdings to Maride Investments Trust via a court order, all without the requirement of the original title deeds.
During the trial, State witness Norman Mugiya provided compelling testimony, confirming that Ferera and his wife had instructed him to process and back-date the title deeds to facilitate the illegal land acquisition.
Magistrate Mambanje found that the actions of the accused exposed Shomet Industrial Holdings to a potential prejudice of US$4.2 million.
Harare lawyer Tendai Rusinahama acted as a watching brief for the complainant throughout the proceedings. The conviction adds to Ferera’s existing prison term, reinforcing the judiciary’s stance on offences involving the deception of courts and fraudulent manipulation of legal documents.
