Utano Motors Director Appears in Court Over US$1.6 Million Fraud

 

The director of Utano Motors, Marshall Mutandwa Shadaya, appeared in court yesterday alongside his company, the Fiona Dambudzo Shadaya Trust, facing allegations of defrauding a home seeker and a contractor of a combined US$1.6 million.

Shadaya was granted US$1,000 bail and ordered to surrender his passport to the clerk of court by Harare regional magistrate Jesse Kufa.

The first complainant, Kingsley Zimbudzana, alleges that Shadaya sold him a property in Glen Lorne Township, Harare, for US$100,000 without having the legal authority to do so. 

According to court proceedings, Zimbudzana paid the full purchase price, but Shadaya failed to initiate the conveyancing process, citing alleged issues with Harare City Council.

Investigations later revealed that the property belonged to the Shadaya Family Trust, and that Shadaya had no legal mandate to sell it.

In a separate matter, Louis Maronga, a contractor, is alleged to have been defrauded of US$1.5 million. The court heard that Shadaya sold residential stands that had been allocated to Maronga as payment for construction services rendered to other clients.

The state is being represented by prosecutor Oscar Madhume.

Shadaya’s legal woes extend beyond the current matter, as he is also implicated in a separate US$3 million fraud case involving the estate of his late wife, Fiona Dambudzo Shadaya, alongside prominent lawyer Wilson Manase.