Lady Luck has, literally speaking, abandoned a 38-year-old man from Bindura who swindled Ramason Bupendra, an investor from Singapore, of mine machinery totalling to a staggering US$500 000 after he was slapped with an effective seven-year jail term for the crime he committed.
Provincial magistrate Tinashe Ndokera had initially sentenced the now jailed Fradreck Utsiwegota to 10 years imprisonment before suspending three years on condition that he does not commit a similar offense in the next five years.
It is understood that on July 5, 2012, Utsiwegota and Bupendra entered into a partnership in which they registered Decade Mining (Pvt) Limited as co-directors of the mining entity.
According to records, Bupendra left the country for Singapore in 2012, leaving Utsiwegota in charge of the co-owned Decade Mining (Pvt) Limited company assets and day-to-day running of the concern.
Reports say Utsiwegota was in the habit of discouraging Bupendra against returning to Zimbabwe, claiming that the political situation in the country was bad.
However,when Bupendra finally returned, he got the shock of his life to find the mine deserted, with neither mine equipment nor mining activities taking place.
State Media
Additional Reporting: Zwnews
