Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka
Court Correspondent
THE former managing director of Pulse Medical Care, a company specialising in the wholesale distribution of pharmaceutical products, has been sentenced to three years in prison for defrauding his employer of over US$65 000.
Tinaapi Nyawo was initially handed a five-year sentence by Harare Regional Magistrate Mrs Feresi Chakanyuka following his conviction.
However, two years of the sentence were suspended on condition of good behaviour, leaving him to serve an effective three-year jail term.
The ruling followed a trial presided over by Mr Clever Tsikwa, with acting deputy prosecutor general Ms Tendai Shonhayi successfully prosecuting the case.
Pulse Medical Care was represented in court by its finance manager, Mr Kunashe Sign Mukanganwi.
According to the State, Nyawo’s fraudulent scheme began in 2018, when he became eligible to receive a company vehicle under Pulse Medical Care’s motor vehicle policy.
Instead of accepting a vehicle, Nyawo requested and was granted a cash equivalent, which he used to purchase a flat in Eastlea, Harare.
Two years later, in 2020, Nyawo approached Stanbic Bank for a personal loan to buy a Toyota Fortuner.
He informed his employer that the loan was in local currency (then RTGS), while his salary was paid in United States dollars, and asked the company to assist in servicing the loan, with the understanding that the equivalent amounts would later be deducted from his salary.
On June 7, 2021, Pulse Medical Care deposited RTGS115 000 into Nyawo’s bank account and paid an additional US$18 820 to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) for customs duty on the vehicle.
However, in July 2021, Nyawo falsely claimed to his subordinates — including the payroll officer and the finance manager — that the Toyota Fortuner was a company vehicle.
He instructed them to insure the vehicle comprehensively and list it on the company’s asset register.
This misrepresentation allowed Nyawo to evade loan deductions from his salary.
Instead, Pulse Medical Care assumed all costs associated with the vehicle, including servicing, comprehensive insurance and other maintenance expenses.
In October 2023, when Nyawo was dismissed from his position, he refused to surrender the vehicle.
In a written communication to his former employer, he claimed the Fortuner was his personal property.
This prompted the company to launch an internal investigation, which uncovered the fraudulent transactions.
The investigation revealed that as a result of Nyawo’s actions, Pulse Medical Care suffered a financial prejudice amounting to US$65 064.
This included the US$18 820 paid to Zimra and RTGS 9 585 079,77- equivalent to US$46 244 at the prevailing exchange rate — used for the purchase, servicing and insurance of the vehicle.
