Roseline Mutare
Mutare High Court Judge, Justice Isaac Muzenda was defrauded US$12 000 by a couple based in Masvingo.
Connilias Chigwida and Margaret Sibanda had been on police radar since 2018, appeared today before Masvingo magistrate Nomagugu Sibanda charged with fraud.
The couple was granted US$100 bail each and will be back in court on 09 July 2024 for routine remand.
Allegations are that sometime in June 2018, Justice Muzenda travelled from Mutare to Masvingo for a celebration party. It was during the merry-making moments that the learned judge was introduced to Chigwida and Sibanda by Tawanda Nhindiri, as relatives of the late Machingambi who coincidentally was Justice Muzenda’s client when he was still a practicing lawyer.
“Sibanda convinced Justice Muzenda that she had the power of Attorney to manage affairs of Mrs Machingambi’s Estate, who had suffered a stroke after the death of her husband. Sibanda confided in him that Machingambi was looking for money to procure drugs hence selling some of the cattle to raise the money.
“On the 10th of December 2018 the couple connived and received RTGS12 000 which was equivalent to US$12 000 into Connilias Chigwida’s account number ZBT1161012180002 for the purchase of 24 cattle,” Progress Magara told the court.
From 2018 to date, Justice Muzenda has not received his money nor the promised cattle. Upon checking with Executor of the estate, Dons Machingambi and the curator Tendai Sibanda the learned judge was informed that the family knew nothing about the transaction he had made to the couple.
That is when he realised that he had been duped.
