THE fraud trial of Harare property developer George Katsimberis, who is accused of fraud after he allegedly built a show house using an unapproved building plan in the city's leafy Borrowdale suburb, will be rolled over into the weekends to expedite its conclusion following lengthy delays.
Magistrate Wongai Muchuchuti made the ruling on Wednesday after Katsimberis' lawyer Tino Chinyoka indicated that he needed more time to finish off his application for referral of the matter to the Constitutional Court. Earlier, Deputy Prosecutor-General Michael Reza had expressed concern over delays in concluding the matter.
"Since this is our first court hearing in this case for 2024, l wish to have this placed on record. This is a case that has been ongoing for a long time, marked by applications for postponements due to a variety of reasons, most of them without proper basis,” Reza submitted.
"If l were to be asked to answer honestly how clear this case is towards coming to finality, l would say it is as clear as muddy water. May all parties please dedicate this year to concluding this matter without unnecessary postponements," he said.
The matter has been running for three years, with the State blaming the accused of making “frivolous” applications and causing several postponements. The defence, however, accuses the State of causing the delays.
The magistrate ruled that both parties should prioritize the completion of the case as soon as possible.
She said this would include sitting on Saturdays.
During the previous sitting, Katsimberis caused a storm after he used an offensive term against Reza He, however, blamed this on his limited knowledge of the English language and pleaded with the State to provide a Greek interpreter for him. His request was, however, not granted.
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Katsimberis has also accused Reza of raising false allegations against him in court and to the media.
Katsimberis, who is denying the fraud charge, claims he is not receiving a fair trial, hence his application for referral of the matter to the ConCourt.
He faces allegations of duping a fellow property developer of close to US$1 million in a joint venture to build cluster houses in the suburb.
