JUDGE KATIYO CAUGHT IN FAKE RULING SCANDAL
Zimbabwean High Court judge Never Katiyo is at the centre of a growing judicial scandal, accused of delivering a fraudulent ruling in a case that has not yet been heard. Lawyers say the ruling, which bears a 28 July 2025 stamp from the Registrar of the High Court, falsely claims appearances and submissions by legal counsel that never happened — effectively creating a judgment out of thin air.
The controversial case involves Technoimpex JSC, a Bulgarian state-owned company with real estate interests in Zimbabwe, and Rajendrakumar Jogi, a Harare businessman, along with six others accused of fraud over property deals dating back to 2013. Although the matter has been before the courts since 2017 and involves various procedural applications, the main hearing is scheduled for 15 September 2025.
Katiyo’s judgment not only came before that date, but also claimed that prominent advocate Thabani Mpofu, along with lawyers D. Sanhanga and L. Uriri, had appeared before him and made submissions. The lawyers deny ever setting foot in court for the case on that day or making any arguments before Katiyo.
In a letter dated 30 July 2025, Sinyoro and Partners — the lawyers for Technoimpex — wrote to Mpofu seeking clarification on when he had supposedly appeared before Katiyo and under whose instructions. Their letter made it clear that no such instructions had ever been issued.
In response, Mpofu fired off a strongly worded letter to the Registrar of the High Court, stating unequivocally that he had not appeared before Katiyo and did not make any of the submissions cited in the ruling. He expressed alarm that this was not the first time Katiyo had falsely attributed arguments to him, saying the judgment appeared to be “totally made up.”
More troubling is that when confronted by Sinyoro and Partners in person, Katiyo reportedly stood by his claims that the lawyers had appeared before him. Disturbed by this insistence, the firm escalated the matter by writing to the secretary of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Walter Chikwana, on 31 July 2025.
In that letter, they described the judge’s conduct as “sailing perilously close to criminality” and accused him of showing no regard for due process or the judicial oath of office. They said the judgment had stripped their client of legal protections without a hearing, and hinted that the judge’s actions may have been motivated by a deliberate intention to aid those accused of fraud.
The lawyers warned that the situation had the potential to damage the credibility of the judiciary — especially since foreign interests are involved in the case. They urged the JSC to immediately launch an investigation into Katiyo’s conduct.
The letter was copied to Chief Justice Luke Malaba, High Court Judge President Mary Zimba-Dube, and the Law Society of Zimbabwe. With pressure mounting and the legitimacy of the court in question, the judiciary now faces a serious test of its integrity.
What began as a property fraud case has exploded into a full-blown scandal threatening the credibility of one of the highest judicial offices in the country.
