By Ebi Kesiena
An investigation by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has unveiled corruption allegations within the Harare High Court, involving the questionable handling of a disputed US$2 million estate case.
The probe revealed that some High Court officials allegedly manipulated court records, resulting in an unfair default judgment against two companies, Sales Cooperation (Private) Limited and Samalyn Investments (Private) Limited.
According to the JSC report, these officials conspired to remove the companies’ opposing documents from a list of contested cases and placed them on an “unopposed” roll, despite the ongoing dispute over the estate.
The companies had previously purchased the estate from a deceased individual, but an aggrieved party later sought to cancel the deed of transfer. The JSC also implicated the law firm Warhurst & Matizanadzo, accusing it of collaborating with court officials to alter records and secure a default judgment in favor of the opposing party.
Meanwhile, the involvement of Warhurst & Matizanadzo has raised serious concerns about the integrity of High Court procedures. A partner at the law firm denied the allegations, expressing outrage over the JSC’s findings. The case has since been referred to the Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) and other judicial bodies for further scrutiny.
The investigation followed a complaint by Darryn Williams Blumears, a representative of the affected companies. Ms. Bianca Makwande, head of policy and legal services at the JSC, confirmed that the companies’ opposing documents were submitted but were improperly listed as “unopposed,” leading to an unjust judgment.
The JSC’s findings have prompted the LSZ to demand an explanation from Warhurst & Matizanadzo. One High Court official implicated in the scandal has resigned, while another, identified as Stone, has denied any wrongdoing, calling the JSC investigation “procedurally unfair” and “defamatory.”
Stone argued that she and her colleagues were not given a chance to respond to the allegations before the JSC reached its conclusions. She has requested that the complaint be dismissed, asserting there is no evidence of their involvement in corrupt practices.
However, the LSZ has referred the case to its disciplinary and ethics committee for further investigation.
