Ivy Kombo, hubby trial moved to December
THE trial of gospel music star Ivy Kombo and her husband Admire Kasi scheduled to start yesterday, will now be held in December as their lawyer was not ready to start the trial.
Presiding magistrate Mrs Feresi Chakanyuka consented to the postponement, and set the matter for December 11 to 13 on a continuous roll.
The couple allegedly fraudulently acquired fake examination certificates so they could practice law in Zimbabwe after obtaining Bachelor of Laws degrees in England.
The two are being jointly charged with Huggins Hardwork Duri who is the suspended Executive Secretary for the Council for Legal Education (CLE).
The State alleged that during 2013, the couple graduated from the University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, with Bachelor of Laws degrees. But as with all those graduating from foreign law schools, the couple had to obtain a certificate of completion from the Council for Legal Education by writing and passing conversion examinations so they could practice Law in Zimbabwe.
These examinations show that the foreign graduate has successfully converted from the legal system and practices in the country where they graduated to Zimbabwean Law and practice.
According to the State, following a complaint by the finance and administration manager for the council, Mr Joe Zimba, in 2021, Kombo approached Shorai Tafadzwa Mupunga, a council official, to assist her to register and write these conversion examinations.
Mupunga advised Kombo that she would engage Duri, the suspended secretary for CLE, who is already on remand on related cases.
The court heard that in 2022, Mupunga approached Duri who said he would issue conversion certificates without the two writing the conversion examinations if they paid US$1 100.
They allegedly paid the money through Mupunga who handed it over to Duri who in turn “certified” that the two had written and passed eight conversion subjects in 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.
Duri then handed over the certificates to Mupunga who in turn gave them to Kombo and her husband.
The two were arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission investigations team.