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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A MAN employed by the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) Hwange station has been arrested for 307 counts of fraud involving more than $140 000 after he allegedly used the company’s name to buy gas from suppliers and sold it on the black market.
Taonga Chikwereti (40) of number 125B Ingagula in Hwange, was in the stores department where he was responsible for procuring goods for the company.
Chikwereti allegedly bought different kinds and quantities of gas from BOC Gases Hwange using the ZPC name and the company paid a total of $143.831.57 between January 2014 and November last year.
The gas was never delivered to ZPC as the company management was not aware of the purchases.
It is not clear how payment was made from ZPC finance department.
The offence came to light in December last year when BOC Gases suspended the ZPC account for non-payment for some of the gas.
It was discovered that Chikwereti would severally prepare delivery notes and invoices which he would take to BOC Gases purporting that ZPC had ordered the goods.
Chikwereti was not formally charged with the 307 counts of fraud when he appeared for initial remand before Hwange magistrate Mr Gift Dube last week.
He was released on $400 bail and ordered to report once a fortnight at CID Fraud Unit in Hwange, not to interfere with witnesses, reside at his given address as well as surrender travel documents as part of his bail conditions.
Prosecuting, Ms Sithandweyinkosi Sithole said after misrepresenting to BOC Gases, Chikwereti would allegedly destroy the master copies from receipt books to destroy evidence of the transactions.
“Between January 2014 and November 2017, the accused proceeded to BOC Gases where he raised several delivery notes purporting that ZPC had ordered gas while in actual fact the electricity company had not ordered any gas.
“During the month of December 2017, BOC Gases suspended the ZPC account due to non-payment which prompted ZPC to make a reconciliation leading to the discovery of the offence,” said the prosecutor.
ZPC management discovered that there were some goods that the company paid for which however did not appear on the validation form.
After getting the gas, Chikwereti, who is suspected to have been working in connivance with some accomplices from BOC Gases, would sell the gas on the parallel market.
The gases include acetylene, argon, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen and propane which are the major consumables used by ZPC to heat metals.
Chikwereti was represented by Mr Wilson Madzikura of Dube and Nkala Legal Practitioners. —@ncubeleon
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