Popular socialite and comedienne Felistas Murata, popularly known as Mai TT, has been convicted of theft of trust property.
This is in relation to a case in which she surrendered a hired car as surety to a loanshark before retrieving it and surrendered an invalid passport as surety.
ZBC reported that in her judgment, the magistrate described the case as a “classic case of theft of trust property.” State prosecution has applied to have her remanded in custody to this Wednesday pending sentence.
According to the State, Mai TT hired an Audi Q5 from Liberty Kudakwashe Vazhura at Else Car Rental on September 29, 2020. The two parties entered into an agreement where Mai TT was supposed to pay US$770 per week, and a lease agreement was signed.
However, Mai TT allegedly failed to make the weekly payments and became evasive. She then transferred the car to Rachel Mhuka, who had lent her US$10 000 for her business venture. She used the car as security for the loan without informing Vazhura.
Mai TT later retrieved the car from Mhuka and replaced it with an invalid passport as surety. When Mhuka realised that the passport was invalid, she confronted Mai TT, who returned the car.
In January 2021, police from Rhodesville approached Mhuka and seized the car, saying it had been stolen from Else Car Rental. Vazhura had reported Mai TT for theft of trust property after he failed to locate her or the car.
The value of the car is US$18 000, and it was recovered.
In court, Mai TT denied the charges and claimed that she had paid Vazhura US$3 000 for the car and that he had agreed to sell it to her. She also claimed that she had receipts to prove her payments.
Mai TT faces a jail term or a fine for theft of trust property. The offence is defined as “the dishonest appropriation of property belonging to another with which one has been entrusted” under Section 113 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Theft of trust property is a serious offence that undermines public confidence in business transactions and contractual obligations. It also deprives the rightful owner of their property and causes them financial loss.
