Harare council workers in US$500k fraud scandal

Three Harare City Council employees have appeared in court facing fraud charges linked to an alleged scheme that cost the municipality more than US$500,000.

The accused - Emmanuel Dzinomurumbi (53), Priscilla Dzvikidzo (54) and Valerie Mark (33) - are alleged to have manipulated the council's receipting system to divert funds for personal gain.

The trio appeared before the Harare Magistrates Court following investigations by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.

According to court proceedings, between January 2022 and March 2023, the council's RTGS section processed proof of payments from clients amounting to approximately US$300,000. It is alleged that after capturing the transactions, the accused reversed them in the system without proper journal adjustments.

Prosecutors say the manipulation created the false impression that the funds were still available, allowing the accused to reallocate the money. They allegedly generated new receipting vouchers for unrelated accounts without the knowledge of the original depositors.

The court heard that the accused misrepresented to the council that certain accounts had been settled, while diverting the funds for personal use.

The case also includes two additional counts involving US$25,000 and US$189,000, bringing the total alleged prejudice to over US$500,000.

The three suspects were each granted bail of US$500 and are expected to return to court on May 13.