Ambassador ‘duped’ in $40,000 vehicle – NewsDay

An accountant from MARONDERA Municipality yesterday appeared before a Harare magistrate accused of defrauding Zimbabwe’s Deputy Ambassador to Namibia of US$40,000.

Harare Regional Magistrate Donald Ndirowei has remanded the suspect, Tinashe Mungwena (38), from custody until June 11 for routine remand.

The complainant is Cathrine Mauswa (38), who works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as deputy ambassador to Namibia.

Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti said Mauswa’s late husband Never Besa purchased a Toyota Fortuner vehicle from High Range Land Developers in Harare sometime in 2022.

Mungwena is said to have borrowed the vehicle from Besa on an unknown date on the condition that he would return it.

On March 7, 2024, Mauswa’s husband was involved in a fatal traffic accident in Victoria Falls.

Keep reading

Mungwena was still in possession of the vehicle in question at the time.

After the funeral, Mauswa requested Mungwena to return the motor vehicle as it was part of her late husband’s estate.

According to court documents, Mungwena allegedly refused to return the motor vehicle as he had purchased it from the deceased on September 8, 2023.

Mungwena said he had paid part of the $40,000 purchase price. However, he failed to produce a sales agreement.

This prompted Mauswa to report the matter to the police.

On April 20, 2024, Mungwena handed himself and the vehicle over to police in Harare.