Minutes later,
his fears were confirmed. Provincial magistrate Richard Ramaboea, found him
guilty of fraud in a player transfer deal that cost the club US$5 000.
Moyo,
represented by lawyers Victor Kucherera and Thamani Ncube of Wallace Law
Chambers, was convicted of working with former Bulawayo Chiefs administrator,
Andrew Mandigora, to defraud Highlanders of US$5 000 in the 2024 transfer of striker Never
Rauzhi and midfielder, Malvern Hativagoni.
State
prosecutor Brenda Nyoni argued that Moyo should be jailed immediately, warning
he might abscond. The magistrate declined, saying Moyo would remain on bail
until sentencing today.
Reading the
judgment, Ramaboea said Moyo “acted in common purpose” with Mandigora. He noted
that Moyo did not dispute signing every page of the Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) that sealed the transfers.
“He chose to
say he does not know how his signatures were on the MoU and said Mandigora must
be the one who knows, and that is false and strange as it defies logic,”
Ramaboea said.
The case traces
back to December 2024, when Highlanders sought to sign Rauzhi and Hativagoni
from Bulawayo Chiefs. Initial negotiations pegged Rauzhi’s fee at US$25 000 and
Hativagoni’s loan at US$15 000 but the talks collapsed.
Weeks later,
Mandigora revived the deal, and the clubs agreed on US$13 000 for Rauzhi and
US$1 000 for HativagoniIn March this
year, the Highlanders executive approved payment, requiring two signatures for
each withdrawal. But Mandigora, who has already been sentenced, admitted he and
Moyo conspired to inflate the price.
He said
Highlanders paid US$23 000, while
Bulawayo Chiefs were told the deal cost US$18 000.
The US$5 000
difference was allegedly split, with Mandigora pocketing US$3 000 and Moyo US$2
000.
Ramaboea ruled
that Moyo helped doctor receipts and the MoU to back the inflated figures. “He
appended his signature as proof that he agreed to the information in the MoU,”
he said.
Moyo will be
sentenced today. Chronicle
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