dyton mupawaenda
Zvikomborero Parafini
Harare regional magistrate Donald Ndirowei yesterday granted bail to the Access Forex employee, who allegedly stole over half a million dollars from the remittance company’s South Africa branch.
In his findings, magistrate Ndirowei said it did not make any logical sense to deny the suspect Grace Makozho bail in her home country after she was granted bail and has been on remand for close to a year in South Africa.
“In this court’s view it doesn’t make sense to deny accused bail in her home country while she’s on bail in South Africa.
“There’s no evidence that she has absconded court in South Africa where she’s facing similar charges and with respect to the State, doesn’t make logical sense to say she will abscond in Zimbabwe.
“If this court denies her bail she will certainly fail to attend court in South Africa on April 16 and a warrant of arrest will be issued against her.
“It will be foolhardy to deny her bail knowing that the consequences of that action will make her a fugitive of justice in South Africa,” he said.
She was released on US$300 bail and was ordered to report once a month at Ngundu Police station.
Makozho initially appeared in court on Monday and told the court that she has already been charged with the same facts and granted bail in South Africa and the court ordered the State to verify the status of the status of the case.
The court heard that Makozho was employed by Access Forex as a clerk from July 2022 up to March last year.
Her duties among others were to receive calls from clients on behalf of the company and assist the callers.
The court heard that in April 2023, Makozho
created ghost remittance accounts within the company’s system.
She was working in the same office with Liniet Maphosa, who was responsible for receiving funds from clients for transfer and do the transfers.
It is alleged that Makozho, after creating ghost accounts bearing non-existence remitters, used Liniet Maphosa’s credentials to log into the transfer system. She then used the ghosts accounts to transfer various amounts from Access Forex South Africa to 91 various recipients in Zimbabwe. Amongst the recipients were her accomplices Dickson Gweshe and Sheperd Gweshe who are still at large.
She would then instruct the recipients to withdraw the money from Access Forex tellers in Zimbabwe and hand over the cash to her.
Makozho would allegedly drive from South Africa to Zimbabwe to collect the cash.
During the transfer no money would have been debited into Access Forex.
Makozho allegedly transferred some of the money into her South African FNB accounts.
In order to conceal the elicit origin of the money, she went on to use the money to acquire various properties. She further transferred some of the money she would have received from her recipients to South African FNB accounts so as to conceal the destination of the ill-gotten funds in contravening Money Laundering and proceeds of crime act.
Access Forex discovered the offence after carrying out an audit.
They discovered that the accounts which were used to send the money from South Africa were fake and do not exist within the system.
Makozho was arrested at her rural home in Chiredzi. Upon arrest she allegedly lied that she was Milicent Kwangwari being a sister to Makozho who was being sought and that Grace Makazho was in South Africa.
She was taken to ZRP Masvingo Rural where she was further interviewed and it was discovered that she had lied to the police after national identity card bearing her details was found in her bag.
Total value stolen is US$322 510 and R650 000 and nothing was recovered.
Online Reporter