admin
Naran, whose age was not given, but lives at Number 382 Gorebridge Road, Killarney, had pleaded not guilty to the charge, but was last week on Friday convicted by senior Western Division regional magistrate Mr Owen Tagu.
His lawyer, Mr Tanaka Muganyi, of Dube-Banda, Nzarayapenga and Partners who said that he needed time to get instructions before he could address the court in mitigation requested that the matter be remanded.
The prosecutor, Mr Goodluck Katenaire, had to apply that Naran, who was out of custody on $300 bail, be remanded in custody since circumstances had changed.
The court duly remanded him in custody.
The State proved that on 19 December 2006, Naran, who runs Naran Commodities Brokers situated at Number 64 Main Street, misrepresented to Mr Paradzai Mutandwa Chakona, a director with Global Technology Central Africa, that he had free funds in the United States.
He told Mr Chakona that he could buy a Mercedes Benz ML280CDI on his behalf from Stenham Global Services Limited in England.
The vehicle, which Mr Chakona wanted to buy, was going for 64 994 Euros.
Naran had ZW$580 922 400, which was equivalent to US$134 200 according to the exchange rate at the time, deposited into his Kingdom Bank account.
On 19 February 2007, Naran faxed a fake Barclays Bank transfer document to Mr Chakona purporting that he had transferred 30 000 pounds to Stenham Global Services Limited as payment for the vehicle.
During the same month he faxed another fake transfer document purporting that he had transferred another 16 150 Pounds.
On 13 June 2008, Mr Chakona discovered that the transfers were fake and approached Naran who apologised and promised to pay the full amount and signed an acknowledgement of debt.
He only managed to pay back $5 000.
Online Reporter