Airzim director in court for fraud

Magistrates’ Court facing allegations of conniving with the company’s salaries officer to swindle the national airline of US$69 841,22.
Abraham Katerere, the salaries officer, has reportedly fled to the United Kingdom.
The duo allegedly created ghost workers and misrepresented to their employer that more than US$69 000 had been channelled to their salaries between February 2009 and January this year. Mujere (43) was on Tuesday not asked to plead when he appeared before Mr Don Ndirowei, who granted him US$100 bail and remanded him to March 18. On that date his lawyer is expected to challenge his client’s placement on remand. Prosecutor Ms Svodai Kadivirire alleges that Mujere was the company’s finance manager when he committed the crime. The court heard that his duties included double-checking the payroll to establish if salaries tallied with the number of workers. It is alleged that between February 2009 and January this year, Katerere made salary payments into four CBZ Bank accounts in the names of people not employed by Air Zimbabwe. Mujere, the State says, would authorise the payroll compiled by Katerere while ignoring the ghost workers. The prosecution alleges they would withdraw the money and use it.
The alleged crime came to light when internal auditors discovered the anomaly.