Politician accused of US$4m fraud
Tuesday, 17 January 2012 00:00
Court Reporter
POLITICIAN Mr Justin Zvandasara yesterday appeared in court for allegedly prejudicing Zanu-PF Central Committee member Cde Nyasha Chikwinya and another of over US$4 million in a land deal.
Zvandasara of Plot 7 Weston Glen Forest appeared before magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei facing two counts of fraud.
He was not formally charged and Mr Ndirowei remanded him on US$100 bail to January 30.
Zvandasara was ordered to surrender his passport, report once every week to CID Fraud Central Police, continue residing at his given address and not to interfere with State witnesses.
According to State papers Zvandasara is the president of an unregistered Harare North Housing Co-operative Union.
Cde Chikwinya is the director of Pilgrims Rest Properties, which specialises in property development.
Prosecutor Mr David Magwegwe alleges that during the land redistribution exercise, Cde Chikwinya was allocated Pilgrims Rest Farm measuring 150 hectares.
Government however, re-demarcated the land into two and the other half was allocated to Mama Mafuyana Housing Co-operative.
Alternative land for Cde Chikwinya’s company was also identified at Hatcliffe North Phase two.
Cde Chikwinya obtained a development permit number SL818 from the Department of Physical Planning. On June 21 last year, Cde Chikwinya and the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development signed a memorandum of agreement allocating the land and transferring administration into her name.
She started servicing the land subdividing it into low, medium and high-density stands under layout plan number HOE27.
Dr Sasha Jogi prepared the layout, allocated stands and sold them to clients.
Zvandasara, who knew about the project, misrepresented to unsuspecting home seekers that he had lawfully acquired the same piece of land.
He was acting in connivance with other accomplices still at large. He sold 496 stands to home seekers who immediately occupied the land.
In the second count, the complainant is Jonathan Gapare chairman of Alpha Developers, a company, which is also in the business of developing properties.
Gapare applied to Government for a piece of land adjacent to that of Cde Chikwinya.
Using the same modus operandi, Zvandasara sold 324 stands prejudicing Gapare of US$1 555 000.