Couple up for US$90k fraud

Paidamoyo Bore

A Chadcombe couple appeared in court for allegedly defrauding Pandari Hotel of about US$90 000.

Edzayi Arifaneti, 55, and Usedia Zhuwaneti, 50, were granted $100 000 bail when they appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi.

They will be back in court on March 23.

Allegations are that sometime in 2014, Pandari Hotel, which is being represented by Nickson Mautsi, bought a stand in Glen Lorne from the couple for US$90 000.

It is alleged that the couple told the hotel that the house was co-owned and that they bought it from Anglovaal Investments Private Limited.

With that information, Mautsi believed that the couple were the real owners of the stand and started to develop it after fully paying for the stand.

It is alleged that the couple then used the proceeds to build their current house in Chadcombe.

However, in 2019, Elco Walraven, the actual owner of the property, approached Pandari Hotel with an eviction order from the High Court of Zimbabwe.

The hotel vacated the place and reported the matter to the police.

Nothing was recovered.

Pardon Dziva appeared for the State.