Following his involvement in a US$99k fraud and forgery case, renowned Harare attorney Norman Mugiya was forced to take a leave of absence from his practice at Mugiya and Muvhami Law Chambers.
H-Metro has copies of correspondence between the law practice and the Law Society of Zimbabwe requesting the suspension of his certificate while the fraud case is being investigated.
The Harare Magistrates Court is hearing the matter.
Yolanda Mututuma, the defendant in the case in which Mugiya is allegedly involved, appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi.
Mututuma is the late Jonah Shereni’s surviving spouse.
The complainant is Lawrence Shereni, a male adult aged 18, employed at Rosa 10 Mine, Chiweshe, as a miner.
He is also the first son to the late Shereni, who was the owner of the mine.
Shereni was once married to Durai Marble Dick, who is the mother of the complainant and his siblings Rosa Lesley Shereni, Tavonga Peter Shereni and Lamont Rutendo Shereni.
However, the two later divorced.
On October 21 last year, Shereni was involved in a road accident in Bindura and died at the scene of the crash.
After his death, Mututuma allegedly hatched a plan to defraud the other estate beneficiaries.
She approached Mugiya, who was based at Mugiya and Muhami Law Chambers, domiciled at Number 36 Creswick Road, Hillside, Harare.
The two originated a will, which they purported was drafted by the late Shereni, had filed with the office of Norman Mugiya, who is still at large.
During the same period, Mututuma allegedly bought four properties, identified as Stand Number 2349 Seke Township, Chitungwiza, for the late Shereni’s minor child, Tavonga Peter Shereni.
Stand 257 and 258 of Subdivision J of Subdivision A and B of Inkubusi of Hopley, Harare, for Lawrence Shereni and 259 Subdivision J of Subdivision A and B of Inkubusi of Hopley, Harare, for Amanda Lesley Shereni and Lamont Rutendo Shereni using proceeds obtained from mining activities at the Mine.
After buying the properties for these children, the duo included the newly-acquired properties in the forged will even though Shereni had died before the acquisition of the properties.
The two allegedly allocated the rest of properties, acquired by the late Shereni, which include Stand Number 1520 Chiwaridzo Township, Bindura, to Yolanda Mututuma’s son, Jonah Junior Shereni, and Stand 3982 Chiwaridzo Phase 2, Bindura, to her son Tawananyasha Shereni.
Rosa 10 Mine, registration number 43086, was allocated to Mututuma as well as Stand 2998 Farikani Road, Aerodrome, Bindura.
And, so was a Nissan Cabster registration number ABD 6475, Ford Ranger, Nissan Truck registration number AFN 3962 and Nissan UD80 registration number AFN 3963.
At Yolanda Mututuma’s time of death, all the assets will be registered in Jonah Shereni Junior’s name.
On May 3, Mututuma registered the late Jonah Shereni’s estate with the Master of the High Court in Harare.
In an effort to cheat the other beneficiaries, she later filed the fake will.
In June of this year, the complaintant learned of the offense and reported it to the police.
Source:Hmetro
