National Prosecuting Authority on Wednesday, 26 February, dropped the charges against Basil Nyabadza, the former chairman of the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), before he could enter a plea.
Nyabadza is accused of defrauding Blessed Geza of US$1,362,000 in a land deal. Geza, a veteran of Zimbabwe’s War of Independence and a member of the ZANU PF Central Committee, is currently hiding because he faces charges of inciting violence, theft, and insulting the president.
As reported by <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/geza-loses-case/">The Herald</a>, prosecutor Anesu Chirenje told the court that Nyabadza would be summoned again once Geza is available to appear in court.
Nyabadza disagreed with this decision and wanted the charges to be read to him and the trial to begin.
However, the new magistrate, Donald Ndirowei, who replaced Tilda Mazhande after she stepped down in the morning, agreed with the State’s decision to drop the charges before the plea.
Dropping the charges before the plea means that the evidence could be used again if Nyabadza is tried in the future.
If the charges had been dropped after the plea, it would have been an automatic acquittal, and the evidence could not be used again.
Last week, Magistrate Mazhande had warned that she would remove Nyabadza from remand if Geza did not appear in court, but Mazhande later stepped down from the case for personal reasons.
It is alleged that on October 29, 2020, Geza purchased a 423,504-hectare piece of land from Nyabadza for US$1,362,000, with Geza granted exclusive rights to subdivide, develop, and sell the land.
Nyabadza reportedly misrepresented that the land had title deeds, promising to provide them within a month but never did.
While Geza was working on subdivision permits, he discovered that Nyabadza had sold the same land to Velda Estates.
Geza later learned that the sale agreement had been cancelled without his knowledge after attempting to resolve the matter with Nyabadza.

Pindula News

The National Prosecuting Authority dropped fraud charges against Basil Nyabadza because Blessed Geza, the person he's accused of defrauding, is not available to appear in court. Nyabadza wanted the trial to begin, but the new magistrate agreed to drop the charges before the plea. This means the evidence can be used again in the future. Nyabadza sold land to Geza, promising title deeds that were never provided. Geza later found out the land was sold to someone else, leading to the fraud charges. Geza is currently in hiding facing other charges.

Fraud Charges Dropped Against Nyabadza Pending Geza's Return

The trial of former Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) boss Basil Nyabadza, who is accused of defrauding ZANU PF central committee member Blessed Geza of US$1.3 million in a land scam, was delayed on Thursday after Nyabadza requested further particulars.
Nyabadza is accused of selling land, initially sold to Geza, to another party without Geza’s consent.
According to <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/former-arda-boss-who-conned-geza-us13-million-stalls-trial/">ZimLive,</a> Nyabadza’s trial was scheduled to begin before Harare regional magistrate Tilda Mazhande.
However, through his lawyer, Tazorora Musarurwa, Nyabadza requested more details from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Nyabadza contended that the additional information would allow him to prepare his defence. Specifically, he is seeking clarification on whether the prosecution has any documents beyond the sale agreement as part of their evidence. His lawyer said:
<blockquote>
Provide a breakdown of how this amount was calculated. Explain how the amount of US$1.3 million which is the alleged purchase price of the whole of Lot 5 of Spitzkop constitutes the prejudice suffered by Geza given that he only paid a total of US$112,000.
Provide evidence of the payments amounting to US$1.3 million made by Geza including receipts or bank statements.
</blockquote>
The trial is now expected to start on February 24.
Prosecutor Anesu Chirenje alleged that on October 29, 2020, Blessed Geza purchased a 423,504-hectare piece of land from Basil Nyabadza for US$1,362,000, with Geza granted exclusive rights to subdivide, develop, and sell the land.
Nyabadza reportedly misrepresented that the land had title deeds, promising to provide them within a month but never did.
While Geza was working on subdivision permits, he discovered that Nyabadza had sold the same land to Velda Estates.
Geza later learned that the sale agreement had been cancelled without his knowledge after attempting to resolve the matter with Nyabadza.

Former ARDA boss Basil Nyabadza is accused of tricking ZANU PF member Blessed Geza into buying land and then selling it to someone else. Nyabadza's trial was delayed because he asked for more details from the prosecutors. He wants to know how they came up with the $1.3 million Geza supposedly lost. The trial will now start on February 24. Geza thought he bought land from Nyabadza but later found out it was sold to someone else. Nyabadza promised Geza title deeds but never gave them.

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