A 50-year-old man, Gregory Graham Hall from Kariba, recently appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Court facing charges of forging his late mother’s will to gain sole ownership of her $181,000 estate. Hall denied the allegations of fraud and forgery when brought before Regional Magistrate Mrs. Sandra Mupindu.
The prosecution, led by Mr. Zvikomborero Mupasa, claims that Hall’s mother, Noreece Lesley Hall, passed away on November 3, 2010, at her residence in Greendale, Harare. She reportedly left behind properties in Bridgeways and Sutherland Heights. Following her death, Hall allegedly created a fake will dated May 21, 2008, supposedly signed by his mother, which he submitted to the Master of the High Court.
Hall was subsequently declared the sole beneficiary of the estate. However, his sister, Melanie Jane Hall, discovered discrepancies in the will during a visit to executor Rodgers Matsikidze’s office on March 18, 2022. She noticed the signature didn’t match their mother’s handwriting and suspected forgery. The matter was then reported to the police.
During the investigation, authorities obtained the will and sent it to a Questioned Document Expert for examination, along with samples of their mother’s signature. The expert’s analysis confirmed suspicions of forgery. Two witnesses who signed the will later confessed to being deceived by Hall into signing the document.
As a result of the forged will, Hall allegedly received $111,029.25 from the sale of a property in Avondale and earned a 2.4% share of another property worth $70,000. The case highlights the importance of verifying the authenticity of documents, especially in matters of inheritance.
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