Harare | MAI TT’s theft of trust property resumed yesterday with her lawyer cross examining the State’s star witness on her evidence-in-chief.
She is being accused of transferring a car she was renting to a loan shark she owed US$10000.
The witness, Rachel Mhuka, maintained her evidence that her agreement with Mai TT was based on trust.
She said that was why she didn’t pursue to sign a second affidavit when she was given the car in question as collateral.
“I have known her for a long time and it was because of that friendship that I lent her that amount of money,” she said.
The lawyer further quizzed the witness on which car she was given as collateral as there were two vehicles that were being mentioned.
“Initially, she gave me the Benz as collateral and we signed an affidavit to that effect and, after a while, she retrieved the Benz saying it wasn’t hers and brought the Audi which she claimed was hers.
“I believe the contract didn’t end when she took the Benz because she told me that it belonged to her employer, who wanted it back, and she gave me the Audi, which I believed was hers as I had seen her using it on social media.
“We didn’t sign a second agreement because I trusted her as my friend and was satisfied as I still had something to hold on to as collateral.
“I didn’t even request the car’s registration book because I trusted her,” she said.
The lawyer further insinuated that Mhuka’s actions showed that she didn’t regard the Audi as collateral, which she denied, saying she assumed the first affidavit would suffice.
Mhuka told the court that she realised that Mai TT was a crook when she confessed that the car belonged to Else Car Rental after the company started demanding the car back.
She also became concerned when she gave her a cancelled passport to hold on to as collateral.
The matter is back in court on May 9 when magistrate Munashe Chibanda is expected to file a ruling on an application for discharge, Mai TT is set to file this Friday.
