Durban - A R1.6 million Lamborghini is at the centre of a court spat between two of Durban’s wealthiest young socialites, one a convicted murderer and the other who is charged with running a ponzi scheme.
Fraud accused Prinasen Dhaver, who claims to be the richest businessman under 30 in Durban, said he bought a Lamborghini Gallardo from Rajiv Narandas, who is appealing against his conviction and 18-year jail sentence for the murder of Veenand Singh outside a Sandton nightclub.
Dhaver alleged in his urgent Durban High Court application, which came before Judge Johan Ploos van Amstel on Thursday, that Narandas had stolen it from him, even though he had paid about R800 000 in instalments and repairs.
He wants an order against Rajiv and his father, Krish Narandas, for the return of the vehicle, but they are vigorously opposing this.
In his affidavit, Dhaver claimed to be a “good friend” of Rajiv.
He said he was approached by Krish to buy the car. He said Krish was “desperate to sell it” because his son could go to jail for a long time and he could not afford the monthly payments.
“I was keen. He said the price was R1.6m and I could make monthly payments of R20 000 to either him or his son.”
He said because they were such good friends, the deal was verbal and he took delivery of the car in June. Since then he had paid Rajiv R340 000, R120 000 to his father and spent about R350 000 on repairs.
But he said earlier this month Rajiv brought a spare key and “unlawfully removed” the car from “Wicked Dipps”, where it had been left for some cosmetic work.
Dhaver alleged that the father and son then ignored his phone calls and did not respond to a lawyer’s letter.
But Rajiv, in his affidavit, said this was all lies.
He said Dhaver was not a long-time friend, but just someone who befriended him on Facebook in April this year.
He said Dhaver came to his house to see his father about a wedding ring, saw the car, test-drove it and wanted to buy it.
Rajiv said he was prepared to sell it because his father was going to buy him another one before the end of the year.
“It had nothing to do with my case. I was not desperate to sell. These allegations are defamatory and are just being made to discredit me.
“He (Dhaver) is charged with fraud of R49m and so he should not be making aspersions on my character.”
Rajiv said the instalment agreement was for R80 000 a month and the car had to be paid off by the end of December this year. But Dhaver had only ever paid the first three instalments of R80 000 to him.
“He told me he could no longer afford the car because of the criminal charges against him. I told him I would take the car back and he consented to it.”
He attached e-mails which he said proved that Dhaver could not pay the R80 000 a month and wanted to renegotiate the deal.
In terms of an order taken by consent, Dhaver will file his response by early December and then the matter will be set down again on the court roll.
The Mercury