Zimpapers Logo

Senior Court Reporter

ELIAS Sawari, of Zefis Engineers, appeared in court today on allegations of conning his friend a stand in a botched loan repayment deal.

Sawari was not asked to plead to the fraud charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Yeukai Dzuda.

He allegedly duped Godwin Munyama, a director at Waine Investments (Pvt) Ltd.

Circumstances leading to his arrest are that sometime in 2009 Munyama requested a loan of US$20 000 from Sawari and promised to repay it within a month.

Sawari agreed and allegedly gave Munyama the US$20 000.

The State alleges that Munyama failed to repay the loan within the agreed time frame and resolved to give the Sawari title deed for his stand in Sumben, Harare as surety.

According to the State, Munyama later settled the loan and demanded back his title deed.

Sawari is said to have started giving excuses prompting Munyama make investigations and discovered that the stand was fraudulently transferred into Sawari’s name.

Munyama also discovered that Sawari had ceded rights of the property to businessman Frank Buyanga without his knowledge.

He then took the matter to the police leading to Sawari’s arrest.