A Harare businessman and managing director of Nhimbe Fresh Fruits, Edwin Masimba Moyo, is on the run after a warrant of arrest was issued against him on March 27 this year.

Moyo, who is facing fraud charges for allegedly swindling businessman Moses Ruwona out of US$350,000, skipped court on the day judgment was due, despite having stood trial in full.

The Nhimbe Trust boss was appearing before Regional Magistrate Letween Rwodzi.

Rwodzi dismissed Moyo’s application for discharge at the close of the State’s case, directing him to present a defence. She set March 27 as the judgment date. However, Moyo failed to appear, prompting the magistrate to issue a warrant of arrest.

The court heard that Moyo allegedly misrepresented the existence of a tobacco export deal, causing significant financial loss to Ruwona, the managing director of Tambwari Logistics (Pvt) Ltd.

The case centres on Moyo’s elaborate scheme to offset a looming debt with Northern Tobacco (Pvt) Ltd. He allegedly claimed to have secured a lucrative tender to purchase tobacco for export. Using this false narrative, Moyo persuaded Ruwona to release the funds, which he intended to use to settle his debt and unencumber his property for further financial leverage with NMB Bank.

This fraudulent act highlights a serious abuse of trust and professional misconduct, leaving Ruwona with a devastating financial loss. He believed he was entering a profitable investment, only to discover that the tobacco deal never existed and there would be no returns.

Details presented by prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti revealed that Moyo’s deceit involved misuse of a contract grower agreement with Northern Tobacco Ltd and the leveraging of a property valued at US$400,000 as collateral for another loan.

Moyo also allegedly promised Ruwona a 10 percent profit share upon export, further luring him into the trap. Ruwona subsequently transferred US$332,900, expecting a shipment that never materialized.