Grace Mugabe’s diamond ring wrangle takes new twist

LEBANESE businessman Jamal Joseph Hamed, who is entangled in a $1,2 million diamond ring wrangle with First Lady Grace Mugabe , is demanding clear particulars to enable him to properly defend the lawsuit against him.

Grace last week issued summons urging the court to order Hamed’s three residential properties in Avondale and Vainona to be executable with a view to recover her money. But the businessman has since challenged President Robert Mugabe’s wife to properly table her case.

In her litigation, Grace also said she was seeking an order declaring Hamed’s shareholding in three companies, Thatchfree Investments, Zulaf Investments and Super Earth Properties, to be executable. Hamed, however, said that could only be done if the First Lady proved she was entitled to such relief.

Through his lawyers Mtetwa and Nyambirai, Hamed said in order for him to respond to Grace’s claim, he wanted the latter to explain what his alleged interest and shareholding in the three companies set out in her claim were and “how the alleged interests and shareholding in the said companies are held by him”.

“Is it alleged that any of the companies whose alleged properties are sought to be declared specifically executable a party to the alleged transaction as between the parties. If it is alleged they are, full details of their involvement in the transaction are required,” Hamed said.

“If they are not alleged to have been involved in the transaction, on what basis would their properties be executable on an alleged debt arising from a transaction they were not involved in? On what basis is it alleged that the defendant’s (Hamed) principal residential address is number 9 Houborne Hill, Borrowdale in Harare?”

The businessman further said he wanted to know how it is alleged the contract was entered into between him and Grace and that if it was oral, the First Lady should produce its full terms.