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Serial fraudster in fresh US$5 000 ghost stand scam
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A convicted serial fraudster who is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence has appeared in court on fresh fraud charges after allegedly duping a prospective home buyer out of US$5,000 through the purported sale of a non-existent residential stand in Bulawayo's Nkulumane suburb.
Elliot Mharadze appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Patience Ururu alongside his co-accused, Claudious Manamela.
The pair are facing fraud charges and both pleaded not guilty.
The matter was remanded to July 14 for continuation of trial.
Mharadze is representing himself, while Manamela is represented by Bruce Israel Masamvu of Masamvu and Da Silva-Gustavo Law Chambers.
During the proceedings, Manamela denied any involvement in the alleged fraud.
Through his lawyer, he argued that he had never dealt directly with the complainant or received any money from her.
"The complainant dealt exclusively with Mharadze and should recover her money from him. She herself testified before this court that she never transacted with my client, so there is no basis for his inclusion in these proceedings," Masamvu submitted.
Prosecutor Concilia Ncube told the court that the alleged offence dates back to 2019 when the complainant was looking to purchase a residential stand.
According to the State, she was introduced to Mharadze by Cornelius Edwards.
The prosecution alleges that Mharadze represented that he was selling a 200-square-metre residential stand in Nkulumane for US$5,000.
"The complainant and Mharadze entered into an agreement of sale on October 10, 2019. Mharadze executed an affidavit confirming the sale, while Cornelius Edwards prepared the agreement of sale," Ncube told the court.
The complainant allegedly paid an initial deposit of US$3,500 and was issued with an acknowledgement of receipt.
After raising the remaining US$1,500, she allegedly paid the balance to Mharadze, who then handed her receipts which he claimed had been issued by Manamela, whom he allegedly said was the original owner of the stand.
The court heard that Mharadze later accompanied the complainant to Manamela's offices to facilitate the transfer of ownership.
However, the transfer was never completed.
The complainant subsequently discovered that the residential stand did not exist and reported the matter to the police.
Investigations by detectives from the Commercial Crimes Division (CCD) in Bulawayo allegedly established that there was no official record of the stand Mharadze had purported to sell.
According to the State, the complainant suffered actual prejudice amounting to US$5,000, and none of the money has been recovered.
The trial continues.
Elliot Mharadze appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Patience Ururu alongside his co-accused, Claudious Manamela.
The pair are facing fraud charges and both pleaded not guilty.
The matter was remanded to July 14 for continuation of trial.
Mharadze is representing himself, while Manamela is represented by Bruce Israel Masamvu of Masamvu and Da Silva-Gustavo Law Chambers.
During the proceedings, Manamela denied any involvement in the alleged fraud.
Through his lawyer, he argued that he had never dealt directly with the complainant or received any money from her.
"The complainant dealt exclusively with Mharadze and should recover her money from him. She herself testified before this court that she never transacted with my client, so there is no basis for his inclusion in these proceedings," Masamvu submitted.
Prosecutor Concilia Ncube told the court that the alleged offence dates back to 2019 when the complainant was looking to purchase a residential stand.
According to the State, she was introduced to Mharadze by Cornelius Edwards.
The prosecution alleges that Mharadze represented that he was selling a 200-square-metre residential stand in Nkulumane for US$5,000.
"The complainant and Mharadze entered into an agreement of sale on October 10, 2019. Mharadze executed an affidavit confirming the sale, while Cornelius Edwards prepared the agreement of sale," Ncube told the court.
The complainant allegedly paid an initial deposit of US$3,500 and was issued with an acknowledgement of receipt.
After raising the remaining US$1,500, she allegedly paid the balance to Mharadze, who then handed her receipts which he claimed had been issued by Manamela, whom he allegedly said was the original owner of the stand.
The court heard that Mharadze later accompanied the complainant to Manamela's offices to facilitate the transfer of ownership.
However, the transfer was never completed.
The complainant subsequently discovered that the residential stand did not exist and reported the matter to the police.
Investigations by detectives from the Commercial Crimes Division (CCD) in Bulawayo allegedly established that there was no official record of the stand Mharadze had purported to sell.
According to the State, the complainant suffered actual prejudice amounting to US$5,000, and none of the money has been recovered.
The trial continues.
Source - The Chronicle
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