Company director up for US$350 000 fraud
NHIMBE Fresh Fruits managing director Edwin Masimba Moyo appeared in court yesterday for allegedly duping a businessman into paying US$350 000 for tobacco that never existed.
Moyo allegedly misrepresented to Mr Moses Ruwona that he had secured a tender to buy tobacco for export, when in fact he was offsetting a debt with Northern Tobacco (Pvt) Ltd arising from a contract grower agreement between the two, with the intention of redeeming his property and using it to secure another loan with NMB Bank. Mr Ruwona is managing director of Tambwari Logistics (Pvt) Ltd.
Moyo appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje charged with fraud and was given US$500 bail and returns to court on May 8.
Prosecutor Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti alleged that on July 1, 2022, Moyo, representing Nhimbe Fresh Exports Ltd, entered into a contract grower agreement with Northern Tobacco Ltd. He offered his large Highlands stand measuring 9 220 square metres valued at US$400 000 as a surety mortgage bond.
Sometime in December 2022, Moyo secured another loan facility with NMB Bank and surety was required for the loan facility to be processed. Moyo allegedly devised a plan to defraud Mr Ruwona in order to get money to pay off the initial loan that he had taken.
He allegedly misrepresented to Mr
Ruwona that he had secured a tender from Northern Tobacco to buy raw tobacco for export, but had no funds. Moyo allegedly claimed that after payment of US$350 000, the product would be ready for export within 14 days and Mr Ruwona would get 10 percent share of profits upon export. On January 4 last year, Mr Ruwona met Moyo at a bank in Borrowdale and deposited US$332 900 into the same Northern Tobacco Stanbic Bank account. After full payment was made, Mr Ruwona waited for the delivery of the tobacco for export but nothing materialised.