Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka
Court Correspondent
A MAN from Harare has appeared in court on charges of defrauding the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), the humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, of approximately US$1 488 403.
Fortune Goredema was brought before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa, facing fraud charges.
He was granted bail of US$1 000 and ordered to report to the police three times a week, among other stringent conditions.
He will return to court on July 7.
The complainant in the case is ADRA, a global humanitarian organisation.
According to prosecutor Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti, the alleged fraud came to light in July 2024, when whistleblowers anonymously alerted the organisation to financial irregularities involving Goredema.
An internal forensic audit, conducted by General Conference Auditing Services (GCAS) and led by a team comprising Paul Johnson, Shane Palipane, Oliver Masuku, and Innocent Muhabe, revealed that Goredema had misappropriated funds between 2018 and 2024.
Goredema allegedly used falsified documents to siphon funds meant for statutory payments.
Specifically, he is accused of misrepresenting payments to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) for Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxes by posting fictitious transactions in ADRA’s accounting system, even though no payments were made. He falsely claimed to have paid National Social Security Authority (NSSA) dues while only creating fictitious journal entries to mislead financial report recipients.
Goredema misrepresented financial statements, which was corroborated by external auditors from Baker Tilly, who confirmed the figures were understated during audit sessions.
It was discovered that Goredema failed to meet compliance obligations, including US$1 209 387,76 meant for ZIMRA PAYE and US$160 437,57 intended for NSSA dues.
Additionally, he allegedly overpaid himself, pocketing US$118 578,69 as personal remuneration between 2023 and 2024.
The court heard that when Goredema was confronted by the audit team, he reportedly partially admitted to the allegations and sought leniency, requesting the matter be resolved internally within the church.
However, given the gravity of the offence and the involvement of donations from external Non-Governmental organisations (NGOs), ADRA opted to escalate the matter to the police.
Goredema’s actions resulted in a total financial prejudice of US$1 488 403,93 to ADRA.
None of the misappropriated funds have been recovered.
