Comedian Felistas Murata, known by her stage name Mai TT, was thrown behind bars after a court found her guilty of theft. She will be sentenced today.
Magistrate Munashe Chibanda ruled that Murata’s actions met the criteria for theft of trust property. The court heard that Murata had rented a vehicle but failed to keep up with rental payments. She then became evasive and did not return the car to the rental company.
Witnesses stated that Murata initially claimed the vehicle was hers when she used it as collateral for a loan. She only admitted that she was renting it after issues arose with the rental company. The magistrate said this showed Murata’s intent to deprive the rightful owners of the vehicle.
The prosecutor requested that Murata be held in custody until sentencing, citing concerns she may flee the country as she has multiple passports. Murata’s lawyer opposed the request and asked for bail pending sentencing, arguing that Murata had attended court as required.
However, the magistrate ruled that bail is not automatic after a conviction. The magistrate found there were insufficient grounds to grant bail in this case, so Murata was remanded into custody until her sentencing today.
