The fraud trial of Westridge Primary School headmaster Thakorbhai Kanjee and his wife, Jaya, has been postponed to November 9 for a ruling on their application for discharge.
Harare magistrate Artwell Sanyatwe postponed the matter to 2:15pm saying the court needed ample time to consider the application.
Kanjee (73) and his wife, Jaya (71) are accused of fraudulently increasing their shareholding in family-owned property company T and J Investments (Pvt) Ltd without the knowledge or consent of fellow director Neeshta Urmila Patel.
The couple is seeking discharge, a legal application asking the court to acquit them without requiring them to present a defence.
The State, represented by Lawrence Gangarahwe alleges that the accused acted in common purpose to defraud Patel and prejudice the proper administration of the company.
During the trial, Patel told the court that she inherited her late father’s 20-share stake in the company in 2015.
She testified that in August 2024, her uncle and aunt approached her with a proposal to redistribute the company’s shares equally, but she refused to sign the resolution.
Patel said she later discovered that a Return of Allotments, known as a CR 11 form, had been filed with the Registrar of Companies, indicating that the accused had each allotted themselves an additional 10 shares.
The State alleges that on August 16, 2024, the couple submitted a forged resolution to the Registrar, falsely claiming that all directors had approved changes to the company’s shareholding structure.
The alleged misrepresentation resulted in the Registrar processing the changes, granting each accused an additional 10 shares without Patel’s knowledge or consent.
Patel further told the court that she was denied access to company records at the Registrar’s office, prompting her to report the matter to the police.
The complaint led to the couple’s arrest in July.
The court is expected to deliver its ruling on the application for discharge on November 9.
