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Fungai Jachi Court Reporter
A bishop with an apostolic faith sect lost $25 000 to one of his followers in a botched church stand deal, the court heard last Thursday. Dickson Tukunyuku (45) denied defrauding Ungano yeVapositori leader Bishop Alfred Mupfumbati when he appeared before Mbare magistrate Ms Shelly Zvenyika, who remanded him in custody to June 18 for continuation of trial.

Tukunyuku denied the allegations arguing that Mupfumbati was fabricating the case against him as a way of getting back at him.

“I was not given money by this man,” he said. “All these allegations against me are concocted by the unscrupulous complainant who is a prophet or witchdoctor.

“I went to him for spiritual help in 2014 and since then he has been extorting money from me for his services. At one point he confiscated my Mercedes-Benz claiming it was part of the fee I was supposed to pay him.”

Prosecutor Mr Vincent Chikerema alleged that on February 5 this year, Tukunyuku approached Mupfumbati at his house and informed him that he was selling a church stand.

The court heard that Tukunyuku told Mupfumbati that the stand would cost him $25 000.

It is alleged that Mupfumbati went on to give Tukunyuku $25 000 cash and was issued with a stand confirmation letter by Lexial Chirata.

Allegations are that Tukunyuku and Chirata misrepresented to Mupfumbati that Chirata was still the secretary of a housing co-operative under which he would secure the stand, when in fact, the latter had been voted out in 2013.

The court heard that Mupfumbati later realised that Tukunyuku had lied about the stand when he was told by the chairperson that the co-operative had no such stand under its port- folio.

Mupfumbati reported the matter to the police leading to Tukunyuku’s arrest.