Gweru man up for US$5 million fraud

A Gweru man  has  been hauled before a Harare magistrate facing fraud charges on allegations of  intentionally misleading  Axia Cooperation Limited after he told the company that he was the  a consultant  of a Malaysian company called Anametrics  Holdings limited causing a loss of close to USD$5million.

Tauya Langton Makoni (35) appeared before a Harare Magistrate Barbra Mateko facing charges of fraud.

Makoni was released on $2000 bail .

The State led by Sebastian Mutizirwa alleges that in November 2017, Ray Rambanapasi the Axia Corporation Limited’s Finance Director made a discussion with his colleague Raymond Nyamuziwa to effect that Axia Operations Limited was looking for companies which can facilitate payments to their foreign suppliers.

During that same period, Rambanapasi was engaged by the accused’s accomplices, Dr Christopher Vurombo Hokonyo and Zivanai Michael Moyo who stated that they were referred by Raymond Nyamuziwa and that they were consultants of a Malaysian company called Anametrics  Holdings limited ,which has a fund project company in Zimbabwe by the name Alba Consolidated .They misrepresented that Anametrics had a capacity to pay out foreign suppliers using confirmed letters of credit and as a result, Axia Cooperation and the accused persons agreed that Makoni would issue confirmed letters of credit and Axia Cooperation would then release the funds locally.

The State also heard that Makoni agreed with Axia Cooperation Limited that he would send  confirmed letters of credit from their different companies in South Africa of the equivalence to USD5million, in turn the Axia Cooperation was to deposit the equivalent in the accused persons’ Zimbabwean accounts .

The agreement was made and signed by Ray Rambanapasi and his boss John Koumides before it was sent to Dr Chutamas Vongvorakit , one whom the accused  stated that was the Chief Executive officer of the Anametrics.

In February 2018, the accused emailed Axia Cooperation citing that they had obtained letters of Credit and Axia Operations Limited was then supposed to release the funds in their FBC account, and on 16 February 2018, Axia Cooperation then transferred USD$4 96 6507.

After the stipulated time of 45 days , Axia Cooperation noted that no payments had been made.

Axia Cooperation started chasing on the accused who started giving excuses that their account had been blocked in South Africa hence they were not able to make payments and that they wanted some time to settle their issues with South Africa.

Further investigations revealed  Makoni transferred USD$250 000 to each of his accomplices, bought 3186 bales of tobacco worth US$2 2 million, jewellery equipment worth RTGS180 000, and motor vehicles, which were all seized.