SHE HAS DONE IT BEFORE : STATE WITHDRAWS BAIL CONSENT IN US$488K FRAUD CASE

THE State this week withdrew bail consent for a Harare woman who appeared in court on allegations of duping a businessman of US$488 000 in a botched mining chemicals supply deal.

Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti, appearing for the State, withdrew the bail consent for Eustina Charambira after noting that she had a pending case in which she used the same modus operandi to dupe another person of cash.

The State had consented to $50 000 bail for the 33-year-old, who is accused of defrauding Mr Erasmus Chimbumu in a mining chemicals supply deal.

Charambira had been asked to surrender title deeds of a property worth US$50 000 as part of her bail conditions.

The State had also agreed that Charambira report once every Friday at Waterfalls police until the matter was finalised. Charambira is expected to be back in court for her bail application. She was not asked to plead to the fraud charge when she initially appeared in court last week.

It is the State’s case that sometime in October 2020, Charambira was approached by Mr Chimbumu, who wanted to import mining chemicals. The court heard that Chimbumu had been referred to Charambira by one Ragu Sivaragos.

It is said that Charambira told Mr Chimbumu to convert his money into foreign currency since the mining chemicals were being sold in United States dollars or South African rands.

The State alleges that Mr Chimbumu started sending money in local currency to Charambira between October and December 2020. Charambira is said to have told Mr Chimbumu that he would receive his chemicals in January this year.

Allegations are that Charambira failed to deliver the chemicals on agreed dates and she went to make a report at Borrowdale Police Station saying the money had been stolen.

Charambira allegedly told the police that she did not tell Mr Chimbumu because she was expecting to get the money back in April from the person who had duped her.

On being asked about the chemicals at the end of April, Charambira also allegedly told Mr Chimbumu that she was expecting US$1million from a United Kingdom based investor. The court heard that Charambira asked Mr Chimbumu to give her another US$100 000 to hire a private jet from the UK and promised to reimburse the money once the US$1million deal had materialised.

It is said that Mr Chimbumu gave Charambira US$50 000. Herald

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