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AN Italian businessman has appeared in court for alleged fraud involving over US$200 000.
Maurizio Gianpaolo Arezio appeared before regional magistrate Stanford Mambanje. He will be back in court today for bail hearing.
Allegations are that in March 2021, Maurizio connived with his brother, Gabrielle, who is at large, to rob the complainant, who is in the groundnuts selling business.
The two brothers convinced the unnamed complainant that they could sell the groundnuts on his behalf.
The complainant handed them his groundnuts and the two brothers promised to pay his money before April 30, 2021.
They failed to pay him US$54 600 and after countless efforts to get his money, the complainant filed a report with the police.
On the second count, allegations are that between May 2021 and September 30, 2022, the duo learnt that the same complainant wanted to buy solar panels from outside the country and connived to defraud him again.
They approached him and told him they had funds in their foreign currency accounts which they could use to purchase the solar panels he wanted.
Maurizio allegedly proposed that as a way of settling the outstanding US$54 600 they owed him, they would pay for the solar panels in instalments of US$60 000 using their offshore accounts in Romania, Dubai, South Africa and China.
For every instalment made, the complainant would give them US$50 000 cash and retain US$10 000 until the US$54 600 was settled.
Acting on the con, the complainant agreed to their proposal.
On January 14 last year, Maurizio presented a fake proof of payment of US$45 000 showing that he had transferred money from HSBC Bank China into Raiffeisen Bank, Bucharest, Romania.
The complainant released US$45 000 to the two brothers.
On January 17 and 20 the same year, the two purported to have transferred US$20 000 and US$60 000 respectively into the same bank account from their Raiffeisen Bank account.
Complainant again released US$80 000 to the two, but did not withhold the US$10 000 per transaction as agreed.
On January 30 last year, complainant discovered that the proof of payments were fictitious and tried to engage the duo to return his money, but to no avail.
He reported them to the police and they were arrested. No money was recovered.
Kennedy Madekutsikwa appeared for the State.
Online Reporter