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Yeukai Karengezeka Court Correspondent

The suspected front man used to divert compensation funds for the Mbudzi Interchange, Levy Idana and his accomplice Deputy Director of Roads Services in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Ernest Shenje were back in court today for routine remand.

Prosecutor Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti asked for the court for their dockets to be merged and come before Harare Regional Magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei.

Mr Mutsokoti also said the outstanding thing on the matter was recording a statement from the Permanent Secretary in the ministry.

The matter was postponed to April 9.

The complainant is the State represented by the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.

Idana is the co-director of Ledmart Investments (Pvt) Ltd and is Idana is represented by his lawyer Mr Arshiel Mugiya while Shenje is represented by Mr Admire Rubaya.

According to the State, Shenje connived with Idana and allegedly submitted the fake sale of agreement that enabled him to receive compensation amounting to US$200 000 so far, with a little more than US$800 000 being still in the pipeline when the scam using a fraudulent change of ownership came to light.

Sometime in 2021, Government, through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development decided to construct a multi-level interchange at Mbudzi roundabout which is at the intersection of Simon Mazorodze, Chitungwiza and High Glen roads.

The project affected 135 residential, industrial and commercial properties around the Mbudzi roundabout which would have to be bought out to create the additional extra space needed by the interchange and the access roads.

Government set a fund to compensate the affected property owners after the normal valuation process in 2022 using the normal method of seeking average valuations for each property so the owners could buy equivalent properties to replace those they were forced to sell.