Source: Chinese nationals accused of selling cash acquitted – NewsDay Zimbabwe November 11, 2017
A HARARE magistrate has acquitted three Chinese nationals who were facing allegations of selling cash after State witness and investigation officer Saydon Chinzete conceded in court that they were arrested without evidence.
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
The trio Fang Wei, Wu Huanjiu and Wei Wei, who appeared before magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta were arrested after they were found in possession of $50 000.
Sabarauta ruled that the court could not proceed to convict the trio when the State failed to prove a prima-facie case against the accused.
The trio’s lawyer, Hussein Ranchhod had asked Chinzete, during trial proceedings that he provides evidence to court that his clients were involved in selling cash, to which Chinzete replied the suspects were arrested without direct evidence.
The Chinese nationals had told the court that the cash they were found in possession of was for the September salaries of their 176 mine employees, who had no bank accounts.
The suspects had provided the State with application for cash letters from the FBC Bank and some of the money had been advanced to them by a colleague to enable them to pay the salaries.
According to the State, officers from Harare CID Homicide last month received information that the three were trading in cash and the detectives went to Number 136 Seke Road, Harare, to gather more information on the alleged dealings.
It was alleged that, while outside Planners Stationery, the detectives saw Fang leaving, carrying a sealed cardboard box, which he placed in his car and drove off towards Chisipite.
The detectives followed the vehicle and intercepted it along Enterprise Road and on conducting a search; they recovered $50 000 in bond notes stashed in the box, leading to Fang’s arrest.
The court heard that Fang then implicated Huanjiu and Wei, as the other parties involved in the transaction, leading to their arrest.
Francisca Mukumbiri appeared for the State.
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