The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
A THAILAND-BASED Zimbabwean woman allegedly forged her living husband’s death certificate and used it to secure employment in the foreign country.
Resistance Tariro Matiashe (36) was not asked to plead to the forgery charges when she appeared before Mutare provincial magistrate, Mr Langton Carter, last week on Saturday.
She was, however, remanded in custody and the matter was rolled over to Tuesday for bail hearing, pending the finalisation of police investigations.
Matiashe was on Tuesday granted $50 000 bail and remanded to July 18.
She was ordered to surrender her passport with the Clerk of Court and not to interfere with State witnesses.
Matiashe is being charged with forgery as defined in Section 137 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.
Mr Nyasha Mukonyora represented the State.
It was the State’s case that on June 27, Canan Matiashe, Resistance’s brother-in-law, received information from Resistance’s colleague in Thailand that his brother, Justin Matiashe, had been involved in a road traffic accident and had died on the spot.
After receiving the news, Canan called Justin’s number and the latter answered the call.
“To his surprise, Justin was alive and doing well. Canan then told the lady in Thailand that his brother was doing well and was alive.
“The woman then sent him a burial order which was registered in Justin’s name and told him that Resistance, who is currently on holiday in Zimbabwe, had sent her the copy. She said the order had been sent as proof that Justin had died,” said Mr Mukonyora.
A copy of a Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) accident summary report had also been sent as proof that Justin had been involved in an accident and had died on the spot.
As a result, Canan told his brother about the matter and advised him to report the matter to the police.
The matter was reported at Mutare Central Police Station, thereby leading to Resistance’s arrest. During the court hearing, the State opposed bail citing that Resistance is a flight risk who is unlikely to stand trial if released on bail as she misled the police when she was arrested.
“Resistance misled the police that she was not the one they were looking for when they approached her.
“She was only arrested after the complainant, who was in the company of the police, identified her.
“The accused person is also a flight risk as she is a teacher in Thailand and is likely to sneak back to that country and abscond court proceedings if granted bail,” argued the State.
The State also argued that if granted bail, she is likely to commit other offences as she is allegedly in possession of a date stamp purportedly from the Registrar General’s Office, which she refused to surrender to the court.
