A businessman who was in court after being accused of defrauding another company of about E57 750, claimed that he suffers from a severe gambling addiction.
As a result he lost over E400 000 on an Aviator game.
Aviator is a crash-type game where players bet on how long they feel that a virtual airplane can fly before crashing.
The longer the aircraft stays airborne, the higher the multiplier value assigned, hence more potential winning amounts. Players have to decide when they want to cash in before their plane takes off. Its simplicity and strategy-driven nature make it suitable for many gamers across different age brackets (source: internet).
Sisekelo Bookshop owner Evan Mbetse informed Mbabane Senior Magistrate Sifiso Vilakati on Friday that he was tempted to defraud Mbabane Cash and Carry E57 750 as he was allegedly fighting a gambling addiction, which resulted in him spending over E400 000 on aviator.
For the fraud charge, the magistrate sentenced him to five years imprisonment without an option of a fine.
He was conducting his own defence after his legal rights were explained.
Mbetse was charged with two counts, including fraud and contempt of court. On the first count, he was accused of not availing himself before court on March 31, yet he was informed to attend court.
On the second count, he was accused of misrepresenting to Mbabane Cash and Carry that he paid E57 750 at Nedbank and forwarded them a fraudulent proof of payment and further took 150 boxes of Typek.
He pleaded guilty.
A witness, Mumcy Middleton who is a manager at the wholesaler gave a detailed account of the events that took place on the day of the incident.
According to Middleton, on February 11, she received a phone call from her employer based in Matsapha informing her that the accused purchased Typek amounting to E57 750, however, the amount was not reflecting in the business bank account.
“After receiving the phone call, I drove around town with my colleague looking for Mbetse’s bookshop. We could not find it, then we opened a case with the police,” she said.
Another Manager Gwen Henwood testified and she confirmed that the businessman indeed took 150 boxes of Typek and handed over a forged proof of payment.
Henwood said she was chatting with Mbetse while he was purchasing the items because he seemed to be a friendly customer.
During cross-examination, the businessman remained silent. He claimed that he was not in good health on the day he was expected to appear in court as such he was not in contempt of court.
Mbetse filed a certified sick sheet which he obtained from a pharmacy after failing to attend court on the given date.
