Council loss $19 000 to accountant

Mutare City Council lost $19 000 to a  34 year old accountant Tungamirai Paradzai Mupfigo  after he frequently  withdrew cash from the local authority's bank accounts and converted to his  own use.

Mupfigo denied the charges when he appeared before Mrs Lucie-Anne Mungwari.

Allegations were that Mupfigo withdrew cash amounting to $19 091,83 from Mutare City Council's Kingdom Bank and CBZ bank accounts and allegedly converted it to his own use. "Mupfigo would raise some payment vouchers for payments to clients. He would then instruct the typing pool staff to write cash withdrawal slips which he would take together with the payment vouchers to the financial director and town clerk for signing.

"The accused went CBZ and Kingdom banks and withdrew cash which he was supposed to book in the cash disbursement book. He did not book the 19 0000 and failed to account for it when he was approached," the court heard.

An audit  conducted in late 2013 showed that $34 000 was missing from the council's bank accounts.

Mupfigo was granted $300 bail with reporting conditions. The case continues on December 1, 2015.