The trial of gospel singer Ivy Kombo and her husband, Admire Kasi, on charges of fraud commenced yesterday, featuring a key witness who stated that they indeed have a case to answer. The couple is accused of obtaining fraudulent certificates to practice law in Zimbabwe after allegedly acquiring Bachelor of Laws degrees in England. The third accused, Huggins Hardwork Duri, the suspended executive secretary of the Council for Legal Education, is also facing charges.
Appearing before Magistrate Feresi Chakanyuka, Kombo pleaded not guilty. State prosecutor Anesu Chirenje led the first witness, Joe Zimba, the finance and administrative manager at the Council for Legal Education. Zimba asserted that Kombo and her husband had a case to answer.
Zimba, during his testimony, explained that Duri, the third accused, was his superior and responsible for sending the list to Fidelity for the printing of certificates. He highlighted that the couple’s names were absent from the consolidated schedule list for August 2022, which included the names of students who had taken the exams. According to Zimba, the absence of their names indicated that they did not write the exams.
Under cross-examination, Zimba emphasized that one could not obtain a certificate if their name did not appear on the certificate collection schedule. Despite not being involved in the exam process, Zimba stated that he did not know how Kombo and her husband obtained the documents, as they did not pass the exams.
The trial is set to continue until tomorrow.
