FORGERY : SOCIALITE ESCAPES JAIL

Bulawayo socialite Brendon Shoko, popularly known as “Brizzy,” his girlfriend and an accomplice have each been fined US$400 or face four months in prison for swindling a local woman of US$520, which was intended for her son’s school fees, by forging bank deposit slips.

The trio was given until April 25 to pay back the money.

They were further sentenced to four months, which were wholly suspended for five years on condition that they do not commit a similar offence within that period.

Shoko (28), his girlfriend, Priscah Chipeta (38), and Knowledge Mhlanga (41) were convicted of two counts of forgery by Bulawayo magistrate Mr Maxwell Ncube.

In passing sentence, Mr Ncube took into consideration that the trio pleaded guilty and did not waste the court’s time and the fact that they were first-time offenders.

The trio forged CBZ deposit slips to falsely claim that Ms Phethekile Madonko’s son’s school fees at Gloag High School had been paid. Instead of depositing the money, they converted it for personal use and created fake CBZ deposit slips to mislead Ms Madonko. The scheme was uncovered when the school contacted Ms Madonko about unpaid fees, prompting her to file a police report.

The prosecutor, Ms Mufaro Ndirayire, said the first incident occurred on 7 February, when Ms Madonko handed Chipeta US$350 to deposit into the school’s account. Chipeta then approached Shoko, who enlisted Mhlanga to forge a deposit slip using a fake stamp and printed confirmation slip. A second incident followed on 20 February, involving US$210, which Chipeta again failed to deposit.

“Chipeta then approached Shoko and asked for a forged CBZ deposit slip. Shoko then engaged the services of Mhlanga, who forged the slip by designing a fake stamp and printing a CBZ bank confirmation of cash deposit slip,” said Ms Ndirayire.

They were represented by lawyer, Simon Mutandi of Sandi and Matshakaile Attorneys who pleaded for leniency, citing their status as first-time offenders and noting that they had compensated the complainant.

Chipeta faces additional charges of theft of trust property and fraud in connection with violating a trust agreement with Ms Madonko and misrepresenting the payment of school fees to Gloag High School. These charges stem from her role in producing fake deposit slips and deceiving both Ms Madonko and the school administration. Chronicle

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