RELIEF FOR BUSINESSMAN AS COURT ORDERS STATE TO PUT ITS HOUSE IN ORDER
THE State has been ordered to put its house in order in the case in which businessman Moses Ruwona is facing fraud allegations.
Magistrate Stanford Mambanje ruled in favour of Ruwona, and his accomplice Macmillan Chiweshe, who were seeking refusal of further remand.
The case, in which the two are facing fraud, theft of trust property and money laundering charges involving US$490 000. will now proceed by way of summons.
“It’s my belief that the State hasn’t justified, to the required standard, on why we should keep the matter on remand, they have been giving unreasonable justifications on why they haven’t completed their investigations and, as such, it is my finding that the State may proceed by way of summons when their house is in order,” said Mambanje.
Allegations are that sometime in December 2022, the complainant was awarded a contract by Liquid Telecommunications Holdings in 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 wanted to make a payment to Liquid Telecommunication Holding, Mauritius, for the purchase of the outdoor Wi-Fi routers.
The complainant, through her brother, then engaged Ruwona who undertook to settle the Mauritius payment using his offshore FCA.
On December 8 Chiweshe allegedly received US$630 400 from the complainant and handed the money to Ruwona.
Ruwona then forwarded a proof of payment document to the complainant purporting to have transferred the US$630 400 from his Stanbic Account in Zambia to Liquid Telecommunications, Mauritius’ Standard Bank account as instructed.
The State claims the complainant later checked with the beneficiary bank in Mauritius and found out that no such payment was made.