A 43-year-old fashion businesswoman and her company have appeared in court facing charges of contravening the Exchange Control Act and the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act following the alleged externalisation of funds through an informal money transfer system.
Annie Kahwa, a manager at Alcatraz Fashions, together with the company, is accused of operating a Hawala system in which money was allegedly collected from clients intending to import goods and transferred to Tanzania and South Africa without approval from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi told the court that detectives from the CID Asset Forfeiture Unit received information on March 30, 2026, which led to the arrest of Kahwa and the company.
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Investigations allegedly established that the accused used various registers to record transactions linked to the scheme. Detectives recovered US$23,788 in cash and an iPhone 12 Pro from the company premises, with the total value of the suspected transactions estimated at US$2 million.
Kahwa pleaded guilty to the charges and was granted bail of US$2,000.
She is expected to return to court on May 4, 2026.
The matter is being investigated by Detective Sergeant Tsanyawo of the CID Asset Forfeiture Unit Northern Region.
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