A woman from Harare, Nyasha Mandeya, has been acquitted by a magistrate after being accused of defrauding a client, Olivia Mugugu, of US$22,000. Mugugu had sought certificates of sponsorship (COS) for her siblings to relocate to the United Kingdom.

Mandeya was charged with misleading Mugugu into believing that her brother owned a care company in the UK that could facilitate employment for her siblings. However, Harare Magistrate Patricia Kamwanda ruled that the State had failed to present a strong case. She noted that witness testimonies were inconsistent, and there was insufficient evidence to convict Mandeya.

Five witnesses had testified in the case, but the court deemed the evidence, aside from Mugugu’s, to be hearsay. Mandeya denied the allegations, claiming she only dealt with visa matters and had informed Mugugu of a third party responsible for the job applications.

The court also found that there was no proof linking Mandeya to the creation of the sponsorship certificates. Magistrate Kamwanda emphasized that the case could have been resolved if the investigating officer had testified. She further stated that the police were responsible for investigating the accused’s alibi, which had not been fully examined.

The State’s case suggested that Mugugu had paid US$22,800 for the processing of employment documents for three people, at US$8,000 per person. However, the court concluded there was not enough evidence to support the fraud charges hence it acquitted the accused.