FINALLY, PASSION JAVA STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH HIS SISTER, A CONVICTED FRAUDSTER IN THE EYE OF A LEGAL STORM

PROPHET Passion Java has finally stood in solidarity with his sister, a convicted frauster, who is in the eye of a legal storm. He attended his sister’s pre-sentence hearing at the Harare Magistrates Courts yesterday following her fraud conviction on Tuesday. Java’s sister, Mavis, was convicted, together with her accomplice Pauline Gutsa, after a full trial.

Mavis was convicted of NINE counts of fraud involving US$120,000. While Java has publicly distanced himself from his sister’s legal troubles, he attended the hearing as he finally stood in solidarity with her. He was in the company of family members.

The pair was being charged together with Harare lawyer Proud Mutuso who was cleared of wrongdoing. Magistrate Chakanyuka said the State failed to prove anything at all with regards to Mutuso’s links to the crime given that he was in South Sudan at the time the crimes were committed Java and Gutsa are expected in court tomorrow for pre-sentence hearing and sentencing. Prosecutor Oscar Madhume proved that the pair sold nine non-existent stands to Farai Chikiwa, Naledi Maunganidze and Fortune Rukara, worth US$119 000.

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The pair are co-directors of Segimel Investments which is said to be in the business of buying and selling stands. The victims discovered that they had been duped after verifications with the City of Harare showed that the stands were not in the local authority’s database. In September 2019, Chikuwa was introduced to Gutsa and Madzivanzira and the pair misrepresented that they were selling stands in Milton Park, Vainona, Logan Park and Gunhill.

They produced ‘Harare City Council site plans’ for the proposed subdivision of the stands and, acting on the misrepresentation, Chikuwa – who is a director of two construction companies – decided to buy three stands in Milton Park, which were going for US$15,000 each. It is the State’s case that she bought six more stands, on her own behalf, and for Maunganidze in Vainona and Logan Park valued at US$64,000.

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