Ex-housing manager warned to be in court

By ZACHERY PER
THE Goroka Committal Court nearly issued a warrant of arrest for a former National Housing Corporation regional manager who had failed to turn up to face a fraud charge.
Senior Provincial Magistrate Cosmos Inkisopo reserved the issue of warrant to give a final chance to Mohammed Basir, the former Highlands regional Housing Corporation (NHC) manager, to turn up in court today.
Police Prosecutor Joe Bonki requested the court to issue a warrant after calling three times for Basir and Inkisopo intervened to give him one more chance.
Inkisopo is expecting Basir to appear before him to answer a charge of fraudulently obtaining K69,000 from Margret Warip on the pretext of selling a property in Goroka town to her.
Basir was released on a K700 police bail after he was arrested on Aug 7 last year.
The journalist-cum-NHC regional manager allegedly obtained money from Warip at different times totalling K69,000 while pretending to sell her a property identified as section 38, allotment 16, in Goroka.
According to court documents, Basir in his capacity as the regional manager of NHC manager, pretended to sell the land to Warip for K159,000.
In a letter dated January 22, 2017, Basir gave the purchaser terms and conditions, with 14 working days to show interest.
According to the court documents, the money paid to Basir totalled K69,000 but the property was never given to Warip.