3 Cottco workers up for fraud

THREE Cotton Company of Zimbabwe employees appeared in court yesterday on allegations of duping their employer of more than $745 460 paid by various service providers.

Vincent Gambiza and Pauline Chinowaita, who are employed as accounts clerks and Norman Kanyimo, a shipping assistant, appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Judith Taruvinga charged with fraud.

They were not asked to plead to the charges and were remanded to August 25.

Appearing for the State, Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti alleged that between May and July this year, the trio manipulated invoices they received after service providers had paid the company.

It is alleged they would change banking details on the invoices paid into CABS and ZB Bank accounts.

The court heard that the suspects manufactured invoices for $241 830 paid into a CABS account by Standard Telephone Cables, $120 614 paid by Hygienic Services and $163 903 paid by Axis Solutions into ZB Bank.

The three also allegedly manufactured another invoice of $219 112 paid by the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZAS) into a CABS account.

Mr Mutsokoti said the matter came to light when Cottco finance director, Mrs Jacqueline Dube, queried a payment instruction invoice for ZAS that was presented to her.

She then instituted some investigations and discovered that the CABS account that was being used, belonged to Vincent Gambiza’s mother and that the ZB account belonged to Norman Kanyimo’s friend.

The trio was arrested and taken to court charged with fraud.