NO JOY FOR PAMBUKANI

Zvikomborero Parafini 

FLORENCE Behane Pambukani, who is facing fraud charges, is back in court today for the continuation of her bail application.

She has been in custody since Friday.

Her bail application, which got underway on Tuesday, was temporarily halted after the State was ordered to secure an extract of her previous conviction from the National Archives.

The State had submitted that she is not a suitable candidate for bail because she was convicted of fraud in 1995.

Pambukani’s lawyer, Tawanda Machinga, said the claim she is not a suitable candidate for bail was not substantiated because the investigating officer failed to secure the CRB number as ordered by magistrate Dennis Mangosi.

The investigating officer said he had only managed to obtain a prison reference number and not the CRB number at the National Archives.

The matter was rolled over to today due to time constraints.

Pambukani is accused of duping a man, who was looking for a stand, of US$21 500.

The complainant is Clemence Ngwenduna.

Allegations are that in April 2016, Pambukani, through her son, Jeffrey Tendai Kariwo, sold a residential stand and entered into a Memorandum of Agreement of Sale for share number 5494 in Borrowdale estate with Tawanda Chamunorwa, for the sum of US$15 900.

The purchase price was paid in cash through Antonio & Dzvetero Legal Practitioners Trust Account.

It is the State’s case that on February 13, last year, Pambukani sold the same property to Ngwenduna for US$15 900.

The amount was paid through Mutuso, Taruvinga & Mhiribidi Attorneys.

She allegedly made him pay US$5 600, which she said was conveyancing fees.

Ngwenduna, through his lawyers, made several follow-ups on the transfer but Pambukani became evasive.

Ngwenduna inquired about the status of the stand at the Registrar of Deeds Offices and discovered that the stand belonged to Tawanda Chamunorwa.

Ngwenduna reported the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission who, after Investigations, established that indeed the stand was registered in the name of Tawanda Chamunorwa who had bought it from Pambukani.