Businessman James Patrick Landon has dragged his childhood friend and ally, Ronald Masimba Nyandoro, before the courts for selling his Toyota Land Cruiser, without consent.
Nyandoro was arraigned before the court yesterday on charges of theft of trust property and Harare magistrate Meenal Narutam freed Nyandoro on his own recognisance to September 21 for trial.
The allegations against Nyandoro are that on an unknown date in November 2022, he approached Landon asking to use his motor vehicle temporarily since his own vehicle had broken down.
It is alleged that Landon gave his Toyota Land Cruiser to Nyandoro on the terms that he would temporarily use the vehicle and return it upon demand.
On April 27, 2023, Landon asked Nyandoro to return his vehicle, but he failed to do so. The court heard that Landon further asked for his vehicle for several times from the accused, but he again failed to do so.
On June 6, 2023, Landon met Nyandoro at the Borrowdale Brooke Club. It is the State’s case that Nyandoro then told Landon that he had found some Australian buyers who were interested in buying the vehicle for US$23,000. The court heard that Landon then authorized Nyandoro to sell the vehicle on his behalf to the said potential buyers.
On June 22, 2023, Nyandoro told the complainant that they were to meet at the Borrowdale Brooke Club, stating that the Australian potential buyers wanted to see him urgently before buying the vehicle. However, the complainant went to the Borrowdale Brooke Club but Nyandoro and the Australian potential buyers never showed up.
The State’s case is that the complainant lost faith in Nyandoro’s promises, which prompted him to demand his vehicle back. Nyandoro allegedly started claiming that the complainant owed him an unspecified sum of money and as such he would not give him back his vehicle.
On July 20, 2023, the complainant discovered that his motor vehicle was being offered for sale on a Facebook platform by Kirk Woest of house number 49 Pringle Road, Mandara, Harare. He made an effort to recover his motor vehicle from Kirk Woest but to no avail.
On August 17, 2023, the complainant reported the matter to the police. The police, acting on information received, managed to recover the complainant’s motor vehicle from Kirk Woest. Police investigations revealed that the accused person sold the aforesaid motor vehicle for US$16,000 to Woest on July 18, 2023.
The total value stolen is US$35,000, and all of it was recovered.
