The Special Anti-Corruption Unit has filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General of Zimbabwe expressing great disappointment in a case which property developer Georgios Katsimberis is being charged on the same facts which he is testifying against Augur Investments boss Ken Sharpe in court.
According to the documents addressed to the Prosecutor General of Zimbabwe, SACU wrote:
“SACU is deeply concerned that a witness who is lined up to testify on behalf of the state, that is George Katsimberis is now being charged on the same facts and the accused persons in his case are now witnesses in a case against him.
“In these two cases that are referred herein above the state appears to allege a particular fact on one hand and also alleging the opposite and charge its own witness. The efforts of combating corruption can be put in jeopardy if cases are handled in this way,” SACU said.
Katsimberis reported a perjury case against Pokugara Properties MD Michael Van Blerk, suspended City of Harare Hosiah Chisango after they lied that the former built a house on Stand 9 of Stand 19559 Borrowdale without an approved plan. Katsimberis says he has authentic and approved plans for that house.
This is besides the fact that Ken Sharpe had initially tried to wriggle out of their contractual binding after claiming that the company that signed the contract was Pokugara Estate (Pvt) Ltd instead of Pokugara Properties (Pvt) Ltd, after his own misrepresentation to Katsimberis. In addition, this ensued after Katsimberis had finished constructing the show house at Pokugara Properties, a case that could be loosely translated to fraud.
Furthermore, Katsimberis says either Van Blerk and or Pokugara Properties (PVT) LTD reportedly tendered a sworn affidavit in case HC8943/18 and lied that the applicant, George Katsimberis had constructed a show house on Stand 10 instead of Stand 9 yet, in fact, the show house was built on Stand 9.
It is further alleged that Van Blerk also lied in the same affidavit that Katsimberis applied for a building plan under plan MP6813/17 for approval of the building plan for Stand 9 when in actual fact it was him and or Pokugara Properties (PVT) LTD who made such an application for approval of building plan for Stand 8.
Van Blerk and six others are also facing charges of malicious damage to property after unlawfully destroying the very show house they allege that it was constructed without City of Harare approved plans.