Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka-Chisepo
Court Correspondent
SiXty-FIVE-YEAR-OLD Evelyn Sarah Bengesa has landed in legal trouble after allegedly selling her matrimonial home and unlawfully transferring a sizable portion of the proceeds out of the country.
Bengesa recently appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Sheila Mupindu, charged with violating the Exchange Control Act through the externalisation of funds.
She has been granted bail of US$1 000, but must surrender both her American and Zimbabwean passports to the court clerk as part of her bail conditions.
According to prosecutor Mr Zvikomborero Mupasa, Bengesa sold her property located at 16 Prices Avenue, Mt Pleasant, Harare, for US$660 000 on August 25, 2025.
Shortly after, on September 16, she allegedly left Zimbabwe for Botswana via the Plumtree Border Post, carrying US$480 000 in cash.
Upon arrival in Francistown, she deposited the funds into her Stanbic Bank company account.
However, the significant deposit raised suspicions, leading the bank to flag the transaction and freeze the account, suspecting illicit acquisition of the funds.
When questioned, Bengesa claimed the money was a legitimate result of the sale of her Harare property.
An investigation by Interpol culminated in her arrest when she returned to Zimbabwe seeking clearance to access her frozen account in Botswana.
