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Yeukai Karengezeka
Court Correspondent
Five suspected fraudsters who allegedly illegally sold land to a businessman for about US$4 million appeared in court yesterday.
Gerald Saidi, Lovejoy Mujati, Nigel Chimbwanda, Nathan Gowoko and Timothy Gowo are facing four counts of fraud.
The accused who are being represented by their lawyer Mr Liberty Chirenje were remanded in custody pending their bail ruling on Thursday.
The State said sometime in 2022, Saidi approached the complainant and told him there was a vacant stand in Kuwadzana, Harare.
The total cost for the land was US$1, 7 million.
The State said between May and October 2022, the complainant fully paid the amount to the accused persons through Saidi’s office.
The complainant went on to pay US$51 000 for capital gains tax and about US$65 000 for transfer fees at Saidi’s workplace.
The accused persons allegedly produced fake documents with the signatures of senior Government officials and persuaded the complainant that the transactions were above board.
In 2024, the complainant went to the Kuwadzana stand with the intension of fencing it off but was stopped from doing so by residents who were being represented by the headmistress of a nearby school. The residents claimed it was their land.
The complainant lost US$ 1 816 000 and nothing was recovered.
On the second count, the State said between May and October 2022, the accused persons sold 109 hectares of land situated opposite the Defence College in Malborough, Harare.
The complainant paid US$2 million for the land. He also paid US$100 000 for capital gains tax and US$78 800 for transfer fees.
On July 22, a report of criminal trespassing was filed at Malborough Police Station against the complainant .
The complainant lost US$ 2 178 000 in the transaction and nothing was recovered.
On another charge, in December 2023 the accused persons asked the complainant to donate an ambulance to a charity organisation. Acting on the misrepresentation, the complainant handed over a new unregistered Toyota Landcruiser ambulance valued at US$ 100 000 to Saidi.
The accused persons further misrepresented to the complainant that the ambulance had been handed over to the said charity organisation.
However, the accused took the ambulance to a car sale and sold it for US$60 000 on July 25.
The matter only came to light when the complainant suspected that he had been duped and made a police report.
The ambulance was recovered at the car sale by the police.
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