Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Reporter
A FAKE court order scandal has been unearthed at the High Court in Harare and two officials from the registry were on Tuesday picked up by police for questioning in connection with the case.
The fake order that purportedly generated from the High Court in Harare was issued in favour of a Bulawayo man called Vision Sithole who sought to grab a vehicle from Ms Siphatisiwe Dube.

An attempt by Sithole to execute the order in Bulawayo raised questions as the woman complained that she was not party to the court proceedings and that the order had been obtained fraudulently.

Ms Dube wrote a letter to the High Court registry on April 3 this year seeking verification on the authenticity of the court order that had the name of Supreme Court judge Justice Ben Hlatshwayo.

Apparently Justice Hlatshwayo never dealt with the case and that at the time the order was purportedly issued on December 5 last year, the judge had since left the High Court for the Supreme Court.

A report was made to the Chief Registrar who then investigated and discovered that the order was fake before making a report to the police.

Chief Registrar of the superior courts Mr Walter Chikwana yesterday confirmed the development saying his office discovered the scandal and made a report to the police.

“We received the complaint from Bulawayo and the woman assisted us with a copy of the order. Our investigations revealed that the order was not genuine and we made a report.

“Two of our officers from the registry have been picked up by the police and they are assisting with investigations,” he said.

Part of Ms Dube’s letter dated April 3 2014 reads:

“On March 27 2013, I received a letter in the form of a High Court order that I must release a vehicle to Vision Sithole of Number 7 Napier House 12th Avenue in Bulawayo.

“The order was granted by Mr Justice Hlatshwayo on the 5th of December 2013. I would like to verify if it is a genuine order because I found it in my letter box. Nobody served me, the order is a photocopy.

“I do not understand why Vision had to get it from Harare despite the fact that he stays in Bulawayo.

“The car is in Bulawayo and I am also in Bulawayo. I was not served with any summons from the High Court and the order is the first thing I got from the High Court.”

The fake order had a High Court date stamp and it read:

“It is ordered that the respondent Siphathisiwe Dube of House Number 21779 Pumila South, Bulawayo or House Number 3161 Nkulumane, Bulawayo releases a vehicle being Daihatsu Rocky (4 by 4) Registration Number ABM 7595, 1994 model, station wagon, black in colour, engine number HD-0475684, chassis number F3005-009351 into the custody of the applicant, Vision Sithole, the owner of the said vehicle.

“Should the respondent not comply with the order of the court in the above paragraph, the Deputy Sheriff, Bulawayo to immediately take custody of the said vehicle and deliver it at 124 Fife Street, between 12th and 13th Avenue, Number 7 Napier Flats, Bulawayo without giving notice of execution to the respondent”.

 

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