Businessman Jailed for Perjury After Using Fake Land Sale Agreement

HIGH COURT OF ZIMBABWE

By Staff Reporter

HARARE — A regional magistrate on Tuesday sentenced businessman Washington Ferera (41) to seven years in prison for perjury after finding that he deliberately misled the High Court by presenting a fake and backdated agreement of sale in a land transaction worth millions of dollars.

Regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje convicted Ferera of perjury with intent to deceive the High Court, suspending one year of the sentence on condition of good behaviour. Ferera had pleaded not guilty during the trial, but the court ruled that his defence was unconvincing and riddled with inconsistencies, particularly regarding the timeline of the alleged offence.

In delivering judgment, Magistrate Mambanje said the State had successfully proved that Ferera knowingly participated in a fraudulent scheme designed to unlawfully secure ownership of land. The court accepted the testimony of Norman Mugiya, a State witness, whom Mambanje described as credible and reliable. Mugiya testified that Ferera and his wife, who remains at large, instructed him to process backdated title deeds to facilitate the land acquisition.

Prosecutor Cecilia Mashingaidze told the court that between January and March 2018, Ferera and Scholastic Muringai, acting with intent to deceive the High Court, signed a fake agreement of sale for Lot 358 of Prospect, measuring 25.1499 hectares. The property was allegedly sold to Schomet Industrial Holdings, with Ferera purporting to act on behalf of the seller while Muringai represented the supposed buyer. The State established that the fraudulent agreement was later used to mislead the High Court and other authorities, resulting in the transfer of title deeds from Schomet Industrial Holdings to Maride Investments Trust through a court order without the production of the original title deeds.

Further evidence showed that Muringai attached the backdated agreement to her founding affidavit in High Court case HC2670/2018, which formed the basis for the court’s decision.

As a result of the misrepresentation, Schomet Industrial Holdings was exposed to a potential prejudice amounting to US$4.2 million, the court heard.

In aggravation, the magistrate noted that Ferera’s actions undermined the integrity of the judicial process and involved deliberate dishonesty aimed at manipulating court procedures for personal gain. Authorities are still pursuing Ferera’s wife in connection with the matter.