adminKay Kaseke Sunday News Reporter
Agro-dealers lost $37 418 that was to be deposited to their bank accounts through mobile money transfer after a Steward Bank employee allegedly encashed the mobile money and used it. The complainant, Steward Bank being represented by Mr Tonderai Murombedzi, said the accused, Ms Siphilisiwe Mukarati (37), was employed as a customer service officer. She was released on $200 bail pending further investigations.
Prosecuting, Mr Thomas Mutambirwa had opposed bail. He said the accused during the period of October 2013 and March 2014 was in charge of a small-scale farmer’s project, where beneficiary farmers were to contribute $80 into the Food and Agricultural Organisation account and the bank would every month disburse $160 to the farmers through EcoCash.
He said the money was to be used by the beneficiary farmers to purchase farm inputs from Agro dealers through eco-cash.
“Since the accused was the co-ordinator of the project she had access to monitor the cash flow of these Agro dealers and would from time to time instruct them to transfer that money obtained in EcoCash wallets to the Steward Bank line she had access to,” Mr Mutambirwa said.
He told the court that the accused went on to tell the dealers that she would transfer money sent to the bank’s line to their accounts.
“She told the Agro dealers that she would transfer money from them to their Steward Bank accounts. Instead she cashed out the transferred money for her personal use,” said Mr Mutambirwa.
Nothing was recovered from the accused.
The magistrate, Ms Sibongile Msipa, ruled that the court was satisfied that the accused was a good candidate for bail as she co-operated with the police. She is to re-appear in court on 6 June. As part of her bail conditions, she is to report to police every Friday between 6am and 6pm.
Online Reporter