New twist in Trauma Centre case

a board room coup.
Justice Francis Bere last week handed Trauma Centre back to Dr Solanki after dismissing an appeal by the AMI directors with costs on an attorney and client scale.
Streamleigh Investments (Pvt) Ltd, operating as AMI, through its lawyer Advocate Adrian De Bourbon argue that the court erred in holding that Dr Solanki’s AutoBand Investments (Pvt) Ltd had any possessory rights to enforce in respect of the premises situated at 15 Lanark Road, Belgravia.
The lawyers argue that the court erred in holding that despite having instituted proceedings in the High Court Dr Solanki was entitled in law to approach the Magistrates’ Court for the same relief.
AMI directors also argue that Dr Solanki disposed any rights to the hospital in question by April 2010.
Mr Jonathan Samukange, who is appearing for Dr Solanki, yesterday confirmed that they had been served with the urgent application.
He said that the grounds AMI was using in its appeal were the same with those dismissed by Justice Bere.
“We are still to respond to the urgent chamber application, but the grounds are the same as those dismissed by Justice Bere,” said Mr Samukange.
Following a High Court order last week, AMI directors and their top management have since vacated Trauma Centre.
Dr Solanki moved in and said he was not disowning any patients admitted at the institution during AMI’s reign.
He said it was unfortunate that the AMI directors, some of whom are British and American, were trying to resist the law, yet they were the first to say there was no rule of law in Zimbabwe.
The doctor said he was not firing any workers who were employed by AMI.
The AMI directors Andrew Groves and Phillipe Edmonds (both British citizens), Joseph Cleverdon, an American citizen and managers Jeremy Sanford, Peter Annesley, Peter Botha, Liz Gordon, Rodrique Mlauzi, Butch Rodrigues, Brett Windstone, Neil Clayton, Wayne Stolts and Paul Stevenson are alleged to have acquired fraudulent documents to claim ownership of the Trauma Centre.
Directors of South Africa-based African Medical Investments was now running the hospital after the boardroom coup.