Court Reporter

An import agent yesterday appeared in court facing allegations of duping another company of 30 tonnes of soya beans worth $28 195 imported from Malawi.

Johnson Mudavanhu (68), who is the director of Chapwati Trading, appeared at the Harare Magistrates Courts charged with fraud.

Mudavanhu was not asked to plead to the charges when he appeared before magistrate Ms Barbra Mateko, who remanded him to July 30 and granted bail of $1 000.

But through his lawyer, Mudavanhu told the court that the $1 000 was beyond his reach and applied that it be reduced by half.

“Considering the seriousness of the offence and that it is more of a civil matter since the complainant was to be paid after selling the consignment, there was a misunderstanding between the two,” said his lawyer.

Ms Mateko could not reduce the bail after noting the amount involved in the matter.

The State led by Mr Lancelot Mutsokota alleged that in May this year, Mudavanhu hatched a plan to defraud Lion Trait through its finance manager Mr Innocent Changwa.

Mudavanhu is said to have called Mr Changwa and told him that he wanted 30 tonnes of soya beans and would pay upon delivery.

Mr Abdul Qarim, who is based in Malawi, sent the consignment which was to be collected at National Railways of Zimbabwe in Harare.

But on receiving the 30 tonnes of soya beans through Lion Trait, Mudavanhu then disappeared.

He allegedly started evading Mr Changwa, who decided to lodge a complaint with the police, leading to Mudavanhu’s arrest.