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Prosper Dembedza, Herald Correspondent

Marondera businessman Francesco Marconati who was accused of fraud after he fraudulently removed his business partner from Eagle Italian Shoes directorship has been convicted of fraud.

Marconati who appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei was convicted of two counts of fraud.

In his ruling  Mr Ndirowei said Marconati unprocedurally removed Ms Song from the company directorship and Agrilink as company secretary after he falsified documents that both she and Agrilink resigned from the company.

The State represented by Mr Anesu Chirenji proved that Marconati had provided false information to the registrar of companies that Song had resigned while she had not.

Mr Ndirowei said the accused submitted the first fake CR6 to Ecobank and First Capital Bank on October 14, 2021 to remove Ms Song as a company director and signatory of the company accounts and replace her with his son Alessandaro Marconati.

The CR6 was never filed with the Registrar. Marconati did not follow procedures in removing the complainant and there was no general meeting or shareholders meeting conducted.

He also did not advise Ms Song and didn’t follow procedure when he appointed his son Alessandro Marconati as director to replace Ms Song in December 2022 and filed a second forged CR6  and later on he and his son fraudulently forged a third CR6 in 2023 and appointed  Kutaura Bond as extra company director.

As a result, US$6,8 million was lost due to his fraud and forgery.

“The State proved that the company secretary was not informed of any of those changes and no resignation letter was submitted by Ms Song,” said Mr Ndirowei.

“No shareholders meeting nor general meeting were conducted. The accused is found guilty as charged.”

Marconati was however released into the custody of his lawyer and remanded to next Tuesday for pre-sentencing inquiry.