HARARE – A Chinese national stole US$72,000 from his employer before he lost it to gambling, a Harare magistrates’ court has heard.
For the crime, Yu Tue, 33, escaped jail after he was given a wholly suspended 18-month jail term by Harare magistrate Appolonia Marutya.
Yu was convicted after pleading guilty to stealing the money which he later lost at the casino.
The magistrate gave him a non-custodial sentence before ordering him to go back to China since “he is no longer employed”.
He was given a wholly suspended 18 months “on condition he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.”
The court heard he fully restored the complainant’s money.
Yu had pleaded for leniency in mitigation stating that he was a family man who should be spared custodial sentence so that he could continue taking care of his dependents.
He also requested the court to give him time to pay back the money to his employer.
The complainant in the matter is Osaka (Private) Limited.
It is the State’s case that between June 2023 and April 2024, Yu was acting as a salesperson at the company where he was entrusted to sell tyres.
Yu did not hand over the cash to the company.
An audit conducted in April 2024 indicated that there was a shortfall of US$72,000.
Yu was asked to account for the money, but did not do so.
It later emerged that he had lost the entire amount at a casino.
