Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau
A 21-year-old man from Gweru linked to a syndicate involved in manufacturing counterfeit United States dollar notes has been sentenced to 20 months in prison after attempting to use the fake currency at a local nightclub.
Deon Zhou was convicted on his own plea of guilty to fraud and possession of articles for criminal use by Gweru provincial magistrate, Mr Arnold Maburo.
The scheme involved posing as a genuine buyer, creating confusion during payments and tendering counterfeit notes as payment. For fraud, Zhou was sentenced to two years in prison, with four months suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within that period.
He was also sentenced to four months for possessing counterfeit notes.
Mr Maburo ruled that the offence was deliberate and well planned, citing the large number of counterfeit notes and identical serial numbers as evidence of organised criminal activity.
“Fraud offences undermine economic confidence and require deterrent sentences. The accused is found guilty as charged,” he said.
According to court papers, on 8 February, Zhou went to a nightclub in Gweru, where he tendered a counterfeit US$100 note to a bar attendant, Tinotenda Kadungwe, intending to buy beer.
Kadungwe became suspicious, and upon examining the note, discovered it was not genuine.
Court papers read that he alerted the nightclub’s security personnel, who apprehended Zhou before handing him over to the police at Gweru Central Police Station.
Investigations revealed that Zhou was not acting alone, as he had arrived at the nightclub with another suspect who is still at large.
Police later recovered 93 additional counterfeit US$100 notes, all bearing identical serial numbers, bringing the total potential prejudice to US$9 300.
The notes were sent to Zimpost in Gweru for verification, where they were confirmed to be counterfeit. A certificate confirming the notes were fake was issued and produced in court as evidence.
