Accountant in US$500 000 fraud

of Eras Accounting and Executor Services, appeared before regional magistrate Mr Never Katiyo who slapped him with a suspended custodial sentence after taking into account his old age and ill health.
Mr Katiyo sentenced Erasmus to 48 months imprisonment of which 36 months were suspended on condition of good behaviour and a further 12 months on condition he performs 420hours of community service at Borrowdale Primary School.
The company in question, Monomotapa Garden Furnisher, was handed back to the complainant, Mr Atur Fernado Pereia Dias, his wife and daughter.
In passing sentence Mr Katiyo said he considered that Erasmus was suffering from high blood pressure and was of advanced age.
Mr Katiyo said the doctor in his report was already mitigating on Erasmus’s behalf adding that he went overboard although medical evidence cannot be disputed.
He said Erasmus had betrayed the complainants’ trust and his motive was still unknown. “The court is persuaded not to send him to jail. The one week he served has shown him that crime does not pay,” he said.
The State proved that Zhaosheng Wu and Yan Yu agreed to buy Monomotapa Garden Furnisher (Pvt) (Ltd) belonging to Dias.
Erasmus forged a share certificate purporting he was the director of Monomotapa Garden Furnisher.
They transferred 1 000 shares into the couple’s company, Shomet Industrial Development. The shares were valued at US$500 000.
The couple was acquitted of the same charges.