Former bank employee acquitted

AN employee of GetBucks Microfinance Bank Limited, who was charged with three others for allegedly creating fictitious accounts for clients to defraud the financial institution of nearly $4 million, was recently acquitted by the courts.

Gillian Nyengere, who was the regional sales manager, was acquitted of fraud by a Harare regional magistrate recently after the State failed to prove its case against him.

The other three are Mozisi Machesu (exchange control manager), Tafadzwa Sandi (international banking and exchange control officer) and Kuzivakwashe Mudzingwa (international banking and exchange control officer).

The four were charged because they had the rights to access the bank system called BR.Net where they could do some banking transactions.

The State alleged that on August 19, 2021, GetBucks’ chief finance officer Wimbayi Chigumbu noted anomalies on some clients’ accounts which raised suspicion.

The bank investigated and the four were charged with initiating unauthorised transactions, which Machesu would allegedly authorise.

Nyengere in particular was charged with initiating total transactions of $461 500, which she moved from the retail loans control account general ledger number and the receivables financing general ledger to an individual GetBucks savings account belonging to Rutendo Mariwo.

The State alleged that the transactions were authorised by Machesu, who would then move the funds from Mariwo’s account into his GetBucks account or into his co-accused accounts where they would access the money.

The charges against the other three were similar, using Mariwo’s account as the middle point, with Sandi allegedly initiating moves of $1 644 203, and Mudzingwa $1 893 107.