On the run HCC worker arrested for showing illegal favour to businessman Katsimberis
Harare- A Harare City ex-worker Roy Nyabvure who was on the run was picked on Tuesday by detectives at the Harare Magistrates Court for questioning over the illegal facilitation of a residential plan which was approved for controversial businessman and Tendai Biti’s ally George Katsimberis.
Katsimberis stands accused of defrauding a local land developer of around US$1 Million in a housing deal involving Borrowdale cluster houses in the capital.
It is the State’s case that on June 15 2016 complainant entered into a Joint Venture Agreement with the accused for the construction of residential premises at Stand number 19559 ,Harare Township ,Borrowdale ,Harare.
Working in connivance with Roy Nyabvure and other corrupt Harare City officials,Katsimberis produced a stamped architectural plans to the complainant misrepresenting that they had been approved by the HCC okaying him to start construction.
The complainant unsuspectingly thought the stamped plans presented to him by Katsimberis were genuine until when the accused failed to perform according to the contract leading to its cancelation.
After noticing some flaws ,the complainant made some due diligence and inspection of the house which had been constructed by the accused .
The complainant then discovered that the type of materials used in the construction of the model house were not recommended by the City of Harare and its construction was never supervised.
The accused deliberately misrepresented the details.
After the complainant made enquiries with the City Fathers to establish if the approval of the plans was genuine ,he was told they had been obtained unprocedurally.
The City of Harare letter signed by its Director of Works ,Eng Chawatama and dated July 8,2019 may be produced in court as an exhibit.
The municipality ordered the building to be demolished since it had been built without approval and had been constructed using sub standard materials.
Owing to the fraudulent acts ,the complainant suffered a potential prejudice in the sum of US$883 00.
