Harare lawyer Concellia Maheya in trouble over US$30 000 trust funds
A Harare lawyer appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court facing fraud charges involving US$30 000.
Concellia Maheya employed at Maseko Law Chambers as a Legal Practitioner appeared before regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa who granted her US$100 bail.
Allegations are that sometime in October 2021, the complainant intended to purchase a residential stand in Harare and she approached one Templeton Chadyiwa, an estate agent who referred her to stand in 2308 Bluffhill Township, Harare which he indicated was on sale.
lt is alleged that the complainant visited the stand site for viewing and she was impressed and requested to meet the owner of the stand.
Chadyiwa took her to the accused person who was working at Maseko Law Chambers, who claimed to be acting on behalf of the owner Zvatinowona Tsitsi Kujeke.
The accused confirmed that the stand was indeed on sale for US$30 000.
Maheya showed the complainant a title deed which she said was for the Stand and on 29 October 2021, the complainant entered into an agreement of sale to purchase the property and the accused signed on behalf of the purported seller.
The complainant then made a payment of US$30 000 to the accused person.
Maheya was handed USD$30 000 to hold in trust whilst making sure that the transfer of ownership and the sale was being done above board before effecting a payment to the purported owner.
The complainant also made a payment of US$500 to the accused person for conveyancing services.
The state alleges that a few weeks after the transaction the complainant contacted the accused person to collect the title deeds but the accused was not forthcoming.
The complainant visited the Deeds Office to verify the authenticity of the stand title deeds and was informed that the deeds which she was shown were forged and that the Deeds office was holding on to the forged deeds for the purposes of destroying them but however the stand had legitimate title deeds which were different from the ones she was shown by the accused person.
On December 3, 2022 the complainant confronted the accused who offered her Lot 327 Block 8, Hatfield of Hatfield Estate for sale as compensation consent amount prejudiced while she was fully aware that she had no legal right from the Master in terms of section 120 of the Administration of Estates Act.
The agreement did not go through since the accused person had no consent to sell culminating in the complainant reporting the matter to Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission and leading to the arrest of the accused.
As a result of the actions of the accused person, the complainant was prejudiced of USD$30 000 and nothing was recovered.
