Lawyer acquitted of fraud charges

Source: The Herald – Breaking news.

Yeukai Karengezeka, Court Correspondent

SUSPENDED Council for Legal Education (CLE) executive secretary Huggins Duri and lawyer Linda Kovi have been acquitted of fraud charges after a full trial at the Harare Magistrates’ Court.

Regional magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube last week ruled that the State had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the allegations.

He also noted serious irregularities within the management of CLE examination processes and the dispatch of results.

The main State witness, Shorai Mupunga, was said to be more of an accomplice.

It was noted that her evidence lacked credibility and corroboration.

Both accused individuals were cleared of any wrongdoing.

The case centred around allegations that Kovi and Duri conspired to fraudulently obtain a certificate of completion, which allowed Kovi to be admitted as a legal practitioner in Zimbabwe.

The complainant in the matter was the State, represented by Mr Joe Zimba, Finance and Administration Manager for CLE.

Kovi (34), an Administrator at Kanoti and Partners Public Interest Lawyers, graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Africa in Lusaka, Zambia.

To practice law in Zimbabwe, she needed to obtain a conversion certificate from CLE after passing a series of prescribed examinations.

According to the State, Kovi registered with CLE in 2020 and sat for four modules Common Law I & II, Criminal Procedure, and Evidence.

She only passed Common Law II with 54 percent while failing the remaining three modules.

She later registered for three additional modules Civil Procedure, Statutes, and Ethics but failed all of them.

Investigations also revealed that she never wrote the Bookkeeping module, a requirement for certification.

The prosecution alleged that Kovi then approached Duri, who was the CLE Executive Secretary at the time and sought his assistance in fraudulently obtaining the certificate.

Duri purportedly instructed a CLE official, Shorai Tafadzwa Mupunga, to include Kovi’s name on the list of those eligible for certification, despite her failing the required modules.

A certificate of completion was allegedly processed, signed by the Chairman of the Board of Examinations, and collected by Duri.

This certificate enabled Kovi to be admitted to the High Court of Zimbabwe as a legal practitioner.