Michael Mashiri
A man, who was arrested on allegations that he was supplying fake bank statements to support UK visa applications, has been given bail.
Shingirai Ashwell Munvayi, 31, of Mabelreign, appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Courts charged with fraud.
The State alleges that sometime in August 2023, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission investigators were informed that Munyavi was supplying fake bank statements to support UK visa applications.
One of the investigators called Munyavi, pretending to be a prospective UK visa applicant and requested a bank statement with a substantial amount to support his visa application.
Munyavi confirmed that he was in a position to provide the bank statement for a service fee of US$160, to which the investigator agreed, and gave him details of the account for the bank statement.
After several communications, on September 8, 2023, Munyavi sent a WhatsApp message telling the investigator that the statement was ready for collection.
Subsequently, on September 11, 2023, ZACC, assembled a team of investigators who went to meet Munyavi, who in turn brought a fake NMB Bank statement.
He was then arrested holding the fake NMB bank statement before handing it in return for payment.
Thereafter, he led the investigators to the source of the fake document (bank statement), which happened to be one Luke Sibanda’s office, located at the Second Floor of Vassans Building, Chinhoyi Street, Harare, where the investigators recovered an assortment of fake bank statements, recommendation letters with letterheads and date stamps for various organisations.
By so doing Munyavi and Sibanda, who is on the run, with intention to deceive the UK government, allegedly unlawfully and intentionally made a fake bank statement to misrepresent that an NMB account had a balance of US$5 271.05, yet it had US$13.74.
This was done to make the UK Embassy to be convinced by this and give a visa to an undeserving applicant.
As a result of Munyavi’s actions, the UK government would suffer a potential prejudice in its good administration.
He was ordered to deposit US$200 bail at the clerk of court.
Munyavi will appear in court on November 23, for routine remand.
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