POLICE in Ireland have charged a Zimbabwean man for allegedly defrauding a charity of £140,000.
Detectives say they also thwarted a plot by Michael Tuzuka, 32, and two other Zimbabweans yet to be charged, to defraud commercial bank customers of £1,14 million.
Tuzuka was seized on Wednesday along with his two yet-to-be-named compatriots by detectives investigating major bank fraud.
Tuzuka, of Park Square, Grange Rath, Drogheda, appeared before Drogheda District Court on Friday charged with a number of offences including possessing counterfeiting equipment, handling of stolen cheques, theft and attempted theft.
Irish police say in the past five months, commercial customers of banks countrywide have been targeted by a criminal gang attempting to transfer abroad money from business accounts.
The criminals pretend to be the account holders and send forged documents to bank branches instructing them to transfer funds to other jurisdictions.
Those targeted by the criminals included several charitable organisations, and companies that have international business.
Detectives from the Cheque and Payment Card Unit Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation say they recovered £140,000 allegedly taken by Tuzuka and his gang from a well known charity in September.
Attempts to steal up to £1,14 million from other commercial customers during the month was also thwarted, investigators said.
During a search of Tuzuka’s house, forged documentation allegedly used to perpetrate a number of crimes was recovered.
In addition, a number of high spec items of equipment used to manufacture counterfeit credit cards, and numerous business cheques and cheque books were also found. Detectives say the cheques and cheque books appeared to have been stolen from the postal system in Ireland and the UK.