News / National
Tycoon files US$1m lawsuit against Biti
06 Sep 2021 at 15:41hrs | Views
BUSINESS tycoon Ken Sharpe has filed a US$1 mllion defamation lawsuit against MDC Alliance vice-president Tendai Biti.
This was after Biti early this year named Sharpe as one of the elite looters bleeding Zimbabwe.
In High Court papers that amended the initial lawsuit filed on August 26, 2021, Sharpe's firm Augur Investments through its lawyers Scanlen and Holderness, said Biti defamed the firm's proprietor by making the baseless claims.
Sharpe is also suing the MDC Alliance party for pursuing a malicious agenda based on Biti's tweets.
"On or about December 13, 2020 and on December 23, 2020, the first defendant further published two other false, malicious and defamatory statements of and concerning the first and third plaintiff in particular where he stated the following: Glyn Cohen is among a coterie of elite looters that are bleeding Zimbabwe or have bled Zimbabwe aided and abated by Zanu-PF patronage system."
Sharpe claimed that in the December 12 tweet, Biti made baseless claims that could not go unchallenged.
"This list includes Hamish and Simon Rudland, Ian McMillan, Lawrence Sher, Van Hoogstraten, Ken Sharpe, Sam Levy estate and the food mafia," Biti tweeted.
"The desperate actions of Kenneth Sharpe and Augur Investments will not erase the truth that they looted thousands of hectares of land from the City of Harare. Under the airport agreement, land was transferred to Augur, but it never performed. Government took over the project."
Sharpe and his company dismissed the claims as malicious.
Sharpe also sued the MDC Alliance for publishing Biti's "malicious and defamatory" statements.
"On or about December 4, 2020, the MDC Alliance associated and made common purpose with the first defendant by publishing certain comments of and concerning first and third plaintiff."
Biti is also embroiled in a legal battle with West Properties' Tatiana Alishiana where he is being accused of assaulting her last year after a court appearance where the former Harare East lawmaker was representing a client involved in a dispute with Augur Investments.
This was after Biti early this year named Sharpe as one of the elite looters bleeding Zimbabwe.
In High Court papers that amended the initial lawsuit filed on August 26, 2021, Sharpe's firm Augur Investments through its lawyers Scanlen and Holderness, said Biti defamed the firm's proprietor by making the baseless claims.
Sharpe is also suing the MDC Alliance party for pursuing a malicious agenda based on Biti's tweets.
"On or about December 13, 2020 and on December 23, 2020, the first defendant further published two other false, malicious and defamatory statements of and concerning the first and third plaintiff in particular where he stated the following: Glyn Cohen is among a coterie of elite looters that are bleeding Zimbabwe or have bled Zimbabwe aided and abated by Zanu-PF patronage system."
Sharpe claimed that in the December 12 tweet, Biti made baseless claims that could not go unchallenged.
"The desperate actions of Kenneth Sharpe and Augur Investments will not erase the truth that they looted thousands of hectares of land from the City of Harare. Under the airport agreement, land was transferred to Augur, but it never performed. Government took over the project."
Sharpe and his company dismissed the claims as malicious.
Sharpe also sued the MDC Alliance for publishing Biti's "malicious and defamatory" statements.
"On or about December 4, 2020, the MDC Alliance associated and made common purpose with the first defendant by publishing certain comments of and concerning first and third plaintiff."
Biti is also embroiled in a legal battle with West Properties' Tatiana Alishiana where he is being accused of assaulting her last year after a court appearance where the former Harare East lawmaker was representing a client involved in a dispute with Augur Investments.
Source - newsday
