Online Reporter
Prosper Dembedza-Herald Correspondent
Littlerock International School’s executive principal Chamunorwa Gracious Dahwa and bursar Ms Tambudzai Majuru have appeared in court on allegations of defrauding their employer of US$289 997.
Majuru and Dahwa were facing two counts of fraud when they appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei.
They both pleaded guilty prompting the magistrate to defer the matter to Thursday for sentencing.
It is the State’s case that Dahwa and Majuru connived to steal the school’s funds. The court heard that Majuru was responsible for buying receipt books and receipting funds received from parents who had their children enrolled at the school while Dahwa was an executive principal responsible for the overall management of school affairs in Harare and Norton,
Majuru ordered a receipt book bearing the Littlerock International School logo with serial numbers 201 to 400 from DH Solutions (Private) Limited, Harare but did not declare this to the school.
The court heard that on 308 occasions, Majuru received money on behalf of the school and receipted it on the schedule.
Instead of remitting the funds to the school authority, she connived with Dahwa and they converted the funds to their own use.
On June 7, 2024, the complainant got a tip off about the theft and filed a police report. On June 8 2024, detectives went to Dahwa’s residence with Majuru where a search was conducted leading to the recovery of a receipt book serial numbers 201 to 400.
The receipt book was used to receipt school funds amounting to US$80 073 The book was seized on exhibit seizure confirmation receipt number 0110747 and Majuru signed for it. Majuru was subsequently arrested and she implicated accused Dahwa.
Further investigations carried out revealed that Majuru ordered receipt books from DH Solutions Private Limited, Harare for receipting of school funds as per her routine duties.
During the same period, she ordered duplicate receipt books from the same company bearing the same serial numbers to commit the offence.
They receipted some of the money they received in the official receipt books and remitted the money to the school authority.
Majuru and Dahwa receipted the funds they received on duplicate receipt books and converted the money to personal use.
The accused persons then destroyed the duplicate receipt books to conceal evidence. During the course of investigations, some parents of students submitted receipts to the school authority.
It was established that information on the said receipts was authored by Majuru but do not match official receipts and all the money included therein was never remitted to the school authority.
On July 9, 2024, the recovered receipt book serial numbers 201 to 400 and the exhibits seizure confirmation receipt number 0110747 were taken to the Questioned Document Examiner for forensics.
The forensic expert concluded that the receipt book in question was authored and signed by Majuru. She also signed on the exhibits seizure confirmation receipt number 0110747 as acknowledgment of the recovery of the receipt book.
The recovered receipt book serial numbers 201 to 400, copies of duplicate receipts, copies of official receipts with unremitted funds, exhibits seizure confirmation receipt number 0110747 and forensic report from the Questioned Document Examiner and an audit report may be produced in court as exhibits.
The total value of money misappropriated by the accused persons was US$289 997 and nothing was recovered.
From the misappropriated funds, US$150 847 was confirmed and verified through available records while the remainder of US$139 150 was not accounted for since it was recorded in the duplicate receipt book that was destroyed.
