Jailed ex-Econet boss on 264k fraud charge

Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
A former Econet Wireless accounts manager in Bulawayo, Morgan Jange, who was last year jailed five years for defrauding the company of airtime worth more than $90,000 in 2012, is back in court facing fresh fraud charges inolving $263 000.

Jange is jointly charged with his ex-subordinate and a security guard.

He was extradited from South Africa last year, to face the $90 000 fraud charge.

Jange (33), Aaron Mugazi (42), a credit controller at Econet’s dispatch department in Bulawayo and Absalom Nhamoinesu (37), a security guard whose company was contracted by Econet to provide security services, appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Crispen Mberewere facing 11 counts of fraud involving $263 420.

The magistrate remanded Mugazi and Nhamoinesu out of custody to December 9 for trial.

Prosecuting, Mr Simbarashe Manyiwa said the trio acting in common purpose committed the offence between April 2011 and January 2015 after cooking up invoices.

The court heard that on April 27 in 2011, Jange, Nhamoinesu and Mugazi connived and raised an invoice under number 9839 of airtime recharge vouchers worth $45 950. They credited it into Antolice Enterprises’ account purporting that the cards had been ordered and collected by the firm.

Nhamoinesu countersigned the invoice as a witness under the guise that the stock had been collected by Antolice Enterprises. Mugazi approved the misrepresenting transaction.

Mr Manyiwa said about a month later, the three men using the same modus operandi raised another invoice under 11273 of airtime vouchers worth $40 950 and credited it into the same company account. Antolice Enterprise was misled into settling the amount resulting in the firm being prejudiced of $40 950. Jange’s duties included selling airtime to the company’s clients and independent distributors.

The accused persons continued to indulge in their illegal activities of crediting varying amounts into Antolice Enterprises’ account until January 7, 2015 when the fraud came to light after the company realised that they were wrongly invoiced for airtime worth $263 420 in total.

The fraud was reported to the police leading to the arrest of the three accused persons. Jange was arrested with the assistance of Interpol as he was now living in South Africa.

@mashnets