By GRACE CHAILE-LESOETSA
MMD president Nevers Mumba has described claims by a Lusaka resident that he has failed to complete and transfer a property which he sold at US$70, 000 as a lie aimed at extorting money from him.
This is a matter where Mr Oliver Scott has sued Dr Mumba in the Lusaka High Court for failure to complete and transfer a property which he sold at US$70, 000 to the plaintiff.
Mr Scott is seeking an order for specific performance of the contract of sale dated September 6, 2018 being the transfer, assignment and vacate the possession of property LUS/38497 in Ibex Hill, Lusaka.
He stated that it is now over two years since the said property was bought and Dr Mumba has to date failed to complete and transfer the said property to him despite numerous reminders.
But in his defence and counterclaim, Dr Mumba said Mr Scott is a known money lender and has on a number of times borrowed from him.
He stated that the US$70, 000 being claimed was a loan amount of which US$40,000 was the principle amount and US$30, 000 was the interest.
Dr Mumba denied Mr Scott paying him US$70,000 as purchase price for the said property which is in fact worth more than the said amount. .
“The plaintiff has been claiming exorbitant amounts of interest and asked the defendant to pay more than US$400,000 with exorbitant interest on top of the borrowed US$40, 000. This amount was later reduced to US$155,000 by the plaintiff who demanded this sum through a letter written by his lawyers dated 17th March 2020,” he stated. He stated that he has on several occasion since 2019, requested for Mr Scott’s banking details so that he settles the US$70,000 but he has refused to provide the same.
Dr Mumba said he discovered that Mr Scott was trying to surreptitiously lodge the contract at Ministry of Lands and was trying to change ownership of his property into his own name.
He stated that he wrote a letter in July 2019 to the Commissioner of Lands advising of the predicament and informing Ministry of Lands that no person had his authorization to change ownership of the property.
He said he has since lodged a criminal complaint with the Police for the attempted fraudulent conversion of his property by Mr Scott.
