News / National
Harare company director dupes Chinese investors
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A local businesswoman, Lilian Nyamasoka, is now a fugitive from justice after a Harare magistrate issued a warrant for her arrest on Thursday for failing to appear in court to answer to two counts of fraud involving over US$75,000.
Nyamasoka, who is also the managing director of Shawashi Agri (Private) Limited, was expected to appear before magistrate Appollonia Marutya to answer to charges of defrauding two Chinese investors.
She is being jointly charged with her company, Shawashi Agri, in a case that has stirred alarm within the business community over investor protection and fraud.
The first complainant is Xingzhogi Enterprises, a Zimbabwe-registered company represented by its managing director, Tang Zhonghua. According to court papers, the incident took place in March 2024, when the company sought to purchase 12,600 kilograms of Cutrag tobacco for export.
Xingzhogi Enterprises engaged Nyamasoka to assist in procuring the tobacco. A contract was signed between the parties on March 11, and the company paid a total of US$74,322.36 to Shawashi Agri as payment for the consignment, supported by a commercial invoice issued on March 13.
However, the court heard that after receiving the payment, Nyamasoka became evasive, and no tobacco was delivered. Efforts by the complainant to follow up failed, leading to the filing of a police report.
Investigations by the police allegedly revealed that Nyamasoka had converted the money to her personal use. The full amount remains unrecovered, and the complainant suffered a total prejudice of US$74,322.36.
In the second count, the complainant is Wang You, a Chinese national employed as a site manager at Xingzhongji Enterprises. Wang allegedly approached Nyamasoka for assistance in obtaining a Zimbabwean work permit in March 2024.
Nyamasoka is said to have misrepresented that she could facilitate the processing of the permit and subsequently received US$1,500 from Wang for the service.
However, after receiving the funds, Nyamasoka allegedly failed to deliver the permit and became unreachable. A police report was later filed, and investigations revealed that no work permit was ever processed, with the money allegedly diverted for her personal use.
In total, the alleged fraudulent activities left the two complainants with a combined prejudice of US$75,822.36, none of which has been recovered.
The State has indicated that Nyamasoka's conduct not only constitutes a breach of trust but also raises serious concerns about the safeguarding of foreign investor interests in Zimbabwe.
The warrant of arrest will now empower law enforcement agencies to actively pursue Nyamasoka to ensure she faces the charges in court.
Nyamasoka, who is also the managing director of Shawashi Agri (Private) Limited, was expected to appear before magistrate Appollonia Marutya to answer to charges of defrauding two Chinese investors.
She is being jointly charged with her company, Shawashi Agri, in a case that has stirred alarm within the business community over investor protection and fraud.
The first complainant is Xingzhogi Enterprises, a Zimbabwe-registered company represented by its managing director, Tang Zhonghua. According to court papers, the incident took place in March 2024, when the company sought to purchase 12,600 kilograms of Cutrag tobacco for export.
Xingzhogi Enterprises engaged Nyamasoka to assist in procuring the tobacco. A contract was signed between the parties on March 11, and the company paid a total of US$74,322.36 to Shawashi Agri as payment for the consignment, supported by a commercial invoice issued on March 13.
However, the court heard that after receiving the payment, Nyamasoka became evasive, and no tobacco was delivered. Efforts by the complainant to follow up failed, leading to the filing of a police report.
In the second count, the complainant is Wang You, a Chinese national employed as a site manager at Xingzhongji Enterprises. Wang allegedly approached Nyamasoka for assistance in obtaining a Zimbabwean work permit in March 2024.
Nyamasoka is said to have misrepresented that she could facilitate the processing of the permit and subsequently received US$1,500 from Wang for the service.
However, after receiving the funds, Nyamasoka allegedly failed to deliver the permit and became unreachable. A police report was later filed, and investigations revealed that no work permit was ever processed, with the money allegedly diverted for her personal use.
In total, the alleged fraudulent activities left the two complainants with a combined prejudice of US$75,822.36, none of which has been recovered.
The State has indicated that Nyamasoka's conduct not only constitutes a breach of trust but also raises serious concerns about the safeguarding of foreign investor interests in Zimbabwe.
The warrant of arrest will now empower law enforcement agencies to actively pursue Nyamasoka to ensure she faces the charges in court.
Source - The Standard
