Socialites Tarisai Cleopatra Chikocho popularly known as Madam Boss and Admire Mushambi, also known as Mama Vee were at the Harare Magistrates’ Court this morning where they were scheduled to testify in the fraud trial linked to the collapsed E-Creator Ponzi scheme.
The matter, however, was postponed to 10 October due to the absence of a Chinese interpreter.
The case centres on E-Creator mastermind Zhao Jiaotong who is accused of defrauding more than 670 investors of over US$364,000.
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According to the State, Zhao used socialites’ Facebook pages including those of Madam Boss and Mama Vee to advertise the scheme and lure unsuspecting investors.
Allegations are that between January and July 2023 hundreds of complainants invested a combined US$364,647.30 into the company through EcoCash accounts.
On 3 July 2023 investors reportedly struggled to withdraw funds.
They were told the difficulties were due to a system upgrade.
Just two days later, E-Creator abruptly announced it was shutting down operations claiming Zhao had fled the country with investors’ money.
Zhao, who is facing fraud charges has pleaded not guilty.
Through his lawyer Moffat Makuvatsine, he argued that he did not speak English well enough to have communicated with the witnesses.
He denied ever misrepresenting the company’s operations, denied involvement in the formation or running of E-Creator and insisted he never received money from the alleged scheme.
The trial is expected to resume in October, when Madam Boss and Mama Vee are set to give their testimony.
