Boss, PA‘connive’to prejudice business partner

PERSONAL assistant (PA) to Adlecraft Investments (Pvt) Limited co-director, Ofer Sivan, yesterday appeared in court on allegations of being a witness in the signing of fraudulent documents intended for opening of two bank accounts by her boss to prejudice a business partner sometime in 2020.

Cassandra Myburg (37) appeared before Harare magistrate Yeukai Dzuda charged with fraud.

She was not asked to plead to the charges. Dzuda remanded her to March 16 on free bail. Sivan last month appeared in court on similar allegations and is on $100 000 bail.

Myburg is alleged to have witnessed the signing of alleged manufactured documents at Stanbic Bank Borrowdale branch in Harare where Sivan wanted to open business accounts for Adlecraft Investments.

It is alleged that Myburg witnessed the signing of documents in September 2020 knowing that Sivan had forged the signature of co-director at Adlecraft Investments, Gilad Shabtai.

The prosecution told the court that she also accompanied Sivan to submit a forged company resolution dated September 29, 2020 with Shabtai’s forged signatures.

The forged documents were meant to mislead Stanbic Bank officials into believing that Shabtai had appointed Sivan as the sole signatory to the company’s bank accounts.

Acting on the alleged misrepresentation, Stanbic Bank opened two business bank accounts for Adlecraft Investments, with Sivan being the sole signatory.

In November last year, Munyaradzi Gonyora, who holds 10% shareholding in Adlecraft Investments, discovered the offence and alerted Shabtai.

Shabtai lodged a complaint with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, which investigated the matter leading to Sivan’s arrest.

The court heard that Shabtai was prejudiced of US$200 000.

Ruvimbo Matyatya appeared for the State.