adminZvikomborero Parafini
IT’S D-Day for businessman Moses Ruwona who is accused of being part of a syndicate facing fraud, theft of property and money laundering charges involving a staggering US$490 000.
A ruling on his bail bid will be made today — a week after, and his accomplice Macmillan Chiweshe, were arrested.
Ruwona, 36, and Chiweshe, 34, appeared before regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
The State opposed bail and led evidence from the investigating officer told the court that the two had other pending cases, whose complainants had come forward, and this could motivate them to abscond.
The investigating officer added that from his investigations, Ruwona had US$1.8 million in his bank account in Zambia.
This showed that he had the means to flee this jurisdiction and establish a new life elsewhere if released on bail.
In cross examination, the duo’s lawyer insinuated that the charges were concocted by Ruwona’s political rivals and questioned why the complainants entrusted large amounts of money to people who didn’t even own a money transfer agency.
Allegations are that sometime in December last year, the complainant was awarded a contract by Liquid Telecommunications Holdings (Pvt) Ltd Zimbabwe to supply outdoor Wi-Fi routers.
The contract agreement was that the complainant was supposed to import the Wi-Fi routers from Liquid Telecommunication Holdings based in Mauritius.
It is alleged that on December 8, the complainant, Aubrey Chademana, sought to make a payment to Liquid Telecommunication Holdings Mauritius for the outdoor Wi-Fi routers.
The complainant engaged Ruwona, who undertook to settle the Mauritius payment, using his offshore account.
Chiweshe allegedly received US$630 400 from the complainant on the same day and handed it to Ruwona. Ruwona allegedly forwarded a fake proof of payment document to the complainant showing that US$630 400 had been transferred from his Stanbic Bank account in Zambia to Liquid Telecommunications Mauritius’ Standard Bank account as instructed.
The complainant checked with the beneficiary bank in Mauritius and was informed no such payment was made.
The complainant asked Ruwona and Chiweshe, who failed to give satisfactory explanations but promised to settle the payment as per their agreement.
On 20 January, the duo allegedly sent the complainant another fake proof of payment claiming US$630 339 had been transferred to Standard Bank Mauritius.
The complainant again checked with the beneficiary bank and was told there had been no such transfer.
On February 3, they again sent the complainant another fake proof of payment for US$350 000 to Standard Bank Mauritius and checks showed that it was not true.
It was alleged that on February 15, the two sent another false proof of payment for US$426 420 claiming Ruwona had transferred the money from his ABSA Bank account in Zambia to Liquid Telecommunications Mauritius’s Standard Bank Mauritius.
On 17 February another fake US$203 910 proof of payment was sent to the complainant.
On March 7, genuine transfers of USS$280 332 and US$132 151 were made by the accused to Liquid Telecommunications Mauritius and the payments were confirmed by the beneficiary bank.
The accused failed to account for US$218 249.
The duo used the same modus operandi in the second count to allegedly dupe local financial services firm, Access Finance, of US$256 000 in a fabric material consignment deal.
Allegations are that the firm was mandated by a client to facilitate the payment of US$350 000 for fabric material consignment which the client wanted to import from China.
The company approached Ruwona, who promised to do the transaction on behalf of the complainant, using his offshore account.
Ruwona and Chiweshe were given US$358 750 to make the transaction, but they failed to account for US$256 000 prompting Access Finance to file a police report.
Online Reporter