A Harare couple appeared in court on Friday, April 5, facing charges of defrauding the owner of Pandhari Hotel of US$90 000, reported NewsDay.
The accused, Usedia Zhuwaneti, and his wife Edzayi Arufaneti appeared before Harare magistrate Ethel Chichera.
They are represented by Shepard Makonde.
The complainant in the matter is Sunday Chifamba, the owner of Pandhari Hotel.
Prosecuting, Zebediah Bofu told the court that in 2014, the couple planned to defraud Chifamba by posing as shareholders of Anglovaal Investments Private Limited.
Zhuwaneti and Arufaneti claimed that they also owned stand number 761 Glen Lorne Township of 41 of Glen Lorne held under Deed of Transfer 9391/98 through the company.
It is further alleged that in March 2014, Chifamba acted on the accused’s misrepresentation and bought stand number 761 Glen Lorne for US$90 000 from them.
The court heard that the property had an equivalent value of 200 shares in Anglovaal Investments (Pvt) Ltd.
In 2016, Eelco Alexis Walraven, the owner of the property who had sold it to Anglovaal Investments in 2011 but later reclaimed after Anglovaal Investments (Pvt) Ltd had failed to pay the full purchase price, approached Chifamba, claiming ownership of the property.
In June 2019, Walraven obtained a High Court order to evict Chifamba from the property.
As a result of the accused’s actions, the complainant suffered actual prejudice of US$90 000 and nothing has been recovered.
