ZAAC trial: Witness testifies

Court Reporter
An unregistered estate agent who brokered a deal between Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission and a property firm yesterday denied implicating the commission’s chief executive Ngonidzashe Gumbo under duress from the police. Testifying in court against Gumbo who is on trial for swindling the commission of US$435 000, State witness, Victor da Silva admitted that he was not a registered estate agent but ran a property company.

Da Silva confirmed that he brokered the property deal that led to Gumbo’s arrest on allegations of fraud.
He told regional magistrate Rogers Simon Kachambwa that some details which he highlighted in court were missing from his statements to the police because they were irrelevant to the case.

However, defence counsel Mr Raphael Tsivama, during cross–examination disputed that the copy which showed the actual amount only surfaced after the commencement of trial.

He also dismissed allegations that he expressed his concern about the allegations that his conduct was criminal to co–prosecutor Sharon Fero after the court had adjourned earlier in the trial. His main worry, he said, was that there were two statements made to the police.

Da Silva told the court that he had not only interacted with Gumbo in connection with the transaction but had also seen him before with others at the site. Law officer Mr Jonathan Chigwinyiso is prosecuting.

Allegations against Gumbo are that in 2010, he bought offices to be used by the ZACC in Mt Pleasant using government funds but registered the property in the name of Property Mortgage, a shelf company he jointly owned with four of his subordinates. The State alleges that he requested $1 680 000 from the Ministry of Home Affairs to purchase the property when in actual fact the cost was $1,2 million.

ZACC deposited the $1 680 000 into a CBZ account for Perpetual Properties. The property was then allegedly bought and Perpetual Properties deducted $44 500 commission, leaving a balance of $435 500. The States contends that $160 000 was used for the purchase of a property owned by Pop Technologies where Gumbo and one Popatlal Samir are directors. Da Silva was allegedly given $100 000, while Samir received $95 000. Gumbo allegedly allocated $80 000 for “renovations”.