By A Correspondent- A Bindura resident Fradreck Utsiwegota who is serving a seven-year jail term for scaring away an investor before duping him of mining equipment worth US$500 000 has been denied bail pending his appeal against sentence and conviction at the High Court.

He was convicted of swindling a Singapore investor, Ramason Bupendra of mine machinery worth US$500 000.

Bindura provincial magistrate Mr Tinashe Ndokera ruled that there are no prospects of success in the appeal.

He added that his sentenced was based on the nature of the offence, quantity of the goods stolen and the effect to the investment and not on the monitory value.

Fradreck Utsiwegota (38) was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison before Provincial magistrate Mr Tinashe Ndokera suspended three years on condition that in the next five years he does not commit a similar offence.

The anti-corruption court heard that On July 5, 2012 Utsiwegota and Bupendra registered Decade Mining (Pvt) Limited and both become directors.

Bupendra left for Singapore in July 2013 and left Utsiwegota in charge of the company assets and day to day running of the business.

Utsiwegota continuously discouraged Bupendra to return to Zimbabwe saying the political situation was bad. He came back last year after President Mnangagwa won the 2018 elections.

Upon his return, Bupendra found the mine deserted.

-Online