A DIRECTOR of an estate agency in Harare appeared in court yesterday charged with 576 counts of fraud after he allegedly swindled prospective home owners of over $420 000 in a botched stands deal.
REPORT BY CHARLES LAITON, SENIOR COURT REPORTER
The accused, George Bateni (34) of Graham and Douglas Real Estate, was not asked to plead to the fraud charges when he appeared before regional magistrate Noel Mupeiwa on summons.
The court remanded him to today for trial.
According to court papers, Bateni was employed by former Graham and Douglas director Douglas Nyaude and was tasked with the responsibility of managing about 548 stands which Nyaude had sold to clients before disposing of his company.
Sometime in October 2008, Nyaude sold the firm to Bateni before leaving for South Africa, but did not sell him the housing project.
It is alleged sometime in 2009, Bateni purportedly repossessed all the stands and started selling them to new clients after which he realised $157 900 and converted the money to his own use.
It is also alleged that during Nyaude’s absence, Bateni collected $13 255 endowment fees under the pretext of remitting the cash to Zvimba Rural District Council, but later converted it to his own use.
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It is further alleged that sometime between February and July 2010, Bateni allegedly collected $235 479 meant for sewer connections, but instead of remitting the cash to Mbidzo, Muchadehama and Makoni legal practitioners’ trust account, he again converted the cash to his own use.
The State also alleges that sometime in August 2009, Bateni hatched a plan to steal Nyaude’s vehicle and prepared an agreement of sale document purportedly signed by Nyaude.
He then allegedly used the fictitious document to manufacture a fake registration book for the vehicle which he later sold to one Garvin Sithole.
The alleged scam surfaced when Nyaude returned from South Africa and discovered that Bateni had repossessed the stands and sold his vehicle.
Nyaude reported the matter to the police, leading to Bateni’s arrest. Sidom Chinzete appeared for the State.
