The Sunday News
Peter Matika, Senior Reporter
THE trial of a 43-year-old Bulawayo businesswoman who allegedly swindled a fellow businessman of US$700 000 in a well calculated plan where she sought to offset a debt with a local businessman has been set.
Delny Deanna Ashley Davies who runs Bean There Restaurant was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) for allegedly defrauding businessman — Mr Prince Abraham of US$700 000 last year.
She was remanded out of custody to $5 000 bail. Davies appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya and the trial is set to commence on 28 January.
According to court records, sometime in November 2018, Davies hatched a plan to defraud Mr Abraham, who is the managing director of Nedlac Automation based in South Africa and Nedlac Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd based in Zimbabwe of US$700 000, which she used to settle her debt with a Bulawayo businessman.
It was stated that Davies approached Mr Abraham and misrepresented to him that she had some free funds in South Africa and if he had any payments to settle in the neighbouring country, she had the capacity to do so.
After falling prey to her trap, Mr Abraham is said to have transferred US$700 000 into her account. Mr Abraham told Davies that his company had two major invoices, which had to be settled to Nedlac Automation South Africa adding to R3 500 000.
Court records state that the invoices were to be settled as R3 070 000 to Maggotteax South Africa for goods bought and delivered to PPC Bulawayo and R430 000 to Toyota Nelspruit for Nedlac Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd company vehicle.
According to papers presented by Zacc in court, it was established that when the money was transferred into an Ecobank account, US$72 000 financed an overdraft and US$628 000 was transferred to a Steward Bank account.
It was noted that investigations established are that on 29 November 2018, R450 000 was paid to Nedlac Automation South Africa FNB account by Davies and she converted a balance of R3 050 000 to her own use.
Zacc stated that investigations further revealed that Davies made another deposit of R110 0000 into Nedlac Automation FNB account. Out of the US$700 000 only US$7 432 was recovered.
@peterkmatika
