In a recent turn of events, Kasi, the husband of Ivy Kombo, found himself in a precarious situation that almost led to spending a night in remand prison. The couple, well-known figures based in the UK, had been granted bail as they faced accusations of fraud. While Ivy settled her bail condition of US$300, Kasi encountered some complications in meeting his own requirements.
The trouble arose due to discrepancies in the names mentioned on his documents. The name on his passport did not match the one stated in the State’s papers, resulting in an unfortunate predicament. Authorities informed him that he could not be released and would be taken to remand prison. Faced with the looming possibility of spending at least one night behind bars, Kasi experienced a trance-like state.
During this episode, he began shaking as if experiencing a seizure and exclaimed that he was having an asthma attack. Court officials swiftly rushed to his aid, concerned for his well-being. Thankfully, the issue saw resolution when Kasi presented alternative documents that confirmed his ownership of the passport he had initially provided in court.
The couple subsequently appeared before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa, who granted them bail amounting to US$300. As a condition of their release, they were required to report to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission offices every two weeks and surrender their passports.
According to the allegations, the couple obtained Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Bedfordshire in the UK back in 2013. In order to practice law in Zimbabwe, they were obligated to acquire a certificate of completion from the Council for Legal Education after successfully completing conversion examinations.
The accusations claim that in 2021, Kombo sought assistance from a Council for Legal Education official named Shorai Tafadzwa Mupunga to register and undertake the conversion examinations. Mupunga allegedly directed her to Huggins Duri, who was serving as the CLE secretary at the time.
It is alleged that Mupunga approached Duri with the couple’s request and was informed that the conversion certificates could be obtained without actually sitting for the conversion examinations. However, this privilege came at a cost of US$1,100. Subsequently, the couple purportedly paid the sum through Mupunga, who then delivered it to Duri. Duri proceeded to process the certificates, which falsely certified that the couple had successfully completed eight conversion subjects, including Statute Law, Evidence, Bookkeeping, Civil Law Practice duties and Functions, Ethics for Legal Practitioners, Civil Practice and Procedure, Common Law 1, and Common Law 2.
The allegations further state that Duri handed over the certificates to Mupunga for onward transmission to the couple.
