Online Reporter
Prosper Dembedza
Herald Correspondent
A FINANCE and administration officer with Real IPM Zimbabwe has appeared in court on allegations of converting US$170 000 given to him by his employer to pay a supplier for agricultural products, to his own use.
Stuart Ross Hildebrand (65) appeared before Harare regional Magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa on a theft charge.
Mrs Gofa granted him US$200 bail. It is the State’s case that sometime in July 2023, the complainant employed and appointed the accused person as a Finance and Administration Officer.
The State alleges that on June 7, this year, the complainant received a phone call from their Indian-based supplier, T. Stains, that they owed it US$75 000 for Agricultural Biological products supplied to Real IPM Zimbabwe.
It is alleged that the complainant began suspecting the accused person, whom she had instructed to make the payments to the Indian-based company.
She obtained a bank statement and discovered that the accused had underpaid the supplier and converted the money to his own use.
It is alleged that to cover up the offence, the accused person forged deposit slips and misrepresented to the complainant that he was paying the supplier all his money, while in fact he was underpaying him.
The State further alleged that the investigations proved that the accused person also used the funds to settle his own medical bills and repair his cars without the authority and consent of the complainant.
It is alleged that on several occasions the complainant tried to contact the complainant so that she could recover her money, but she failed to get through since the accused was now evasive.
The complainant then filed a police report, leading to the accused person’s arrest. The total value stolen is US$170 000 and nothing was recovered.
