Harare | Levy Idana, the alleged frontman for the Mbudzi interchange compensation fund diversion, was given US$500 bail yesterday and placed under detention until March 6.
It is believed that Idana worked with Enerst Shenje, the deputy director of roads services in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development. Shenje is suspected of submitting the fictitious sale of agreement that allowed him to receive compensation totaling US$200 000 thus far, with a little over US$800 000 still pending when the scheme involving a fraudulent transfer of ownership was discovered.
Also read: ‘Kugula’ – Mjolo Loving Man In Hot Soup After Affairs With 5 Women
Idana (39), who is being represented by Mr. Arshiel Mugiya, his attorney, was located, taken to court yesterday, and Mr. Donald Ndirowei, the Harare regional judge, granted him bail.
His docket and the docket of his co-accused Shenje will be combined by the State.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development’s Permanent Secretary is acting on behalf of the State, which is the plaintiff.
Idana is one of Ledmart Investments (Pvt) Ltd.’s co-directors.
According to the State, the government chose to build a multi-level interchange at the Mbudzi roundabout in 2021, which is located at the junction of Simon Mazorodze, Chitungwiza, and High Glen Roads. This decision was made via the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development.
Around the Mbudzi roundabout, 135 residential, commercial, and industrial properties were impacted by the project. These properties would need to be purchased in order to make room for the interchange and the access roads.
Following the customary procedure of obtaining average assessments for each property, the government established a fund to pay the impacted property owners in 2022. This would allow the owners to purchase comparable homes to replace the ones they were compelled to sell.
One of the properties evaluated was a portion of Delft of Hopely’s Subdivision A and Subdivision B, owned under a title document held by Geoffrey Bannister.
Then, it is claimed that Idana and Shenje used an old title deed in the name of John Maloney, the previous owner before Mr. Bannister, to forge an agreement of sale. This agreement stated that Idana had purchased the property and was thus entitled to the compensation, which was initially valued at US$580 000 but was later falsely inflated to US$1 003 417.
Shenje then moved quickly to expedite the documentation needed to pay the compensation, and on December 8 and 28, US$100,000 was distributed in the first payments, for a total of US$200,000.
Also read: Harare Men Charged With Using False Job Promises To Defraud Student Nurses
Shenje then told Idana how to retrieve his share of the money received by making withdrawals. It is said that Idana made the withdrawals and sent Shenje US$40,000.
On Shenje’s orders, an extra US$4,000 was put into the account of Alpha Asset Management Company.
Idana’s conduct caused the ministry to lose US$200,000, and when the whole inflated value was paid out, there was a chance that the ministry might lose an additional US$803 417.
For feedback and comments, please contact ZiMetro News on WhatsApp: +27 82 836 5828.
