Livre Investments Directors Accused of Dictating Witness Statements in US$18K Stand Case

A Harare court is hearing a case involving two Livre Investments employees, Amine Zinja and Timothy Mariwo, who are facing charges of defrauding their employer of a residential stand valued at US$18,436. However, their legal team argues that the allegations are baseless and lack crucial evidence.

During the court proceedings, attorney Webster Jiti of Jiti Law Chambers told the court there was no proof of fraud. Jiti stated that the accused individuals did not impersonate anyone or forge any documents.

Jiti further claimed that the state’s witnesses—Nawaaz Jaosbi Omar, Faranaz Omar, and Minorah Koshen, all directors at Livre Investments—presented what he called “cooked” statements. He noted the striking similarity in their testimonies, stating, “The only differences in their statements are their names, age, and signatures. It is clear that there is a fourth hand behind the penning of these statements. This is tragic.”

He also pointed out glaring inconsistencies in the statements of two other witnesses, John Chiramu and Siboniso Mpofu, questioning why the accused were even brought to court.

Jiti highlighted that Chiramu admitted to having unrestricted access to the company database, along with four other witnesses and a supervisor, Georgina Davies. He also noted that Mpofu confirmed that the company’s directors had offered stands to long-serving employees and specifically that Mariwo had been given a stand. Jiti added that Mpofu even admitted to co-witnessing a Donation Agreement with Zinja, a fact that raised questions about why she was not also an accused person in the case.

According to the state’s version of events, in February 2024, Mariwo and Zinja allegedly forged a sale agreement for stand number 6544 Granary Phase 3B in Harare. The forged document claimed that the company’s board had agreed to donate the stand to Mariwo. The stand, with a market value of US$18,436, was subsequently registered in the company’s database under Mariwo’s name.

The state alleges that Mariwo began developing the property despite knowing the agreement was fraudulent. The crime was reportedly discovered during a recent audit, prompting Livre Investments to file a police report at ZRP Fife Avenue. The case was then handed over to the CID Commercial Crimes Division, which led to Mariwo’s arrest on April 17. The company claims it lost US$18,436 as a result of the alleged transaction.