H-Metro
Zvikomborero Parafini
A CHINESE businessman appeared in court yesterday facing a US$1 million fraud charge.
Yang Yinggao was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare magistrate Stanford Mambanje, who granted him $500 000 bail.
He was ordered to surrender his title deeds as part of bail, and to report once a fortnight at the police’s Commercial Crimes Division.
The complainant in this case is Luo Jiaying, another Chinese national, who currently resides in the United States.
Jiaying is being represented by Kevin Musimwa from Musimwa and Associates through power of attorney. Yinggao is the director of Yang Tech Engineering that deals in mining.
The court heard that Jiaying is the registered owner of stand number 427, Borrowdale Brooke, measuring 1 273 square metres held under deed of transfer number 1891/2022 dated April 5, 2022.
It is the State’s case that on January 14 last year, Jiaying – who was then resident in Zimbabwe – left the country.
On April 6, Yinggao allegedly fraudulently executed a special power of attorney saying Jiaying had given him authority to sell the stand.
The power of attorney was allegedly signed by a legal practitioner and conveyancer.
After realising that he did not have the deed of the property, Yinggao made an application to Printflow misrepresenting that he had lost the deed of transfer for the property and it was gazetted.
On November 18, Yinggao allegedly initiated a notice in a local newspaper and misrepresented that the deed of the property was lost.
He then made an application, through his lawyer, to the Deeds Office for a replacement, which was issued and he transferred the property to Yin Rencun, another Chinese national.
