×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Ex-IGI manager freed

News
A FORMER manager with International General Insurance (IGI), who defrauded his employer and the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) of over $66 000 in monthly subscriptions paid by the local authority for life assurance cover, on Friday heaved a sigh of relief after he was granted bail by the High Court.

A FORMER manager with International General Insurance (IGI), who defrauded his employer and the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) of over $66 000 in monthly subscriptions paid by the local authority for life assurance cover, on Friday heaved a sigh of relief after he was granted bail by the High Court.

By our Senior Court Reporter

Ernest Sewera (60), who was serving a five-year jail term, had every reason to smile after High Court judge, Justice Lawrence Kamocha granted him $300 bail pending appeal against conviction and sentence. He was asked to continue residing at 72219 Lobengula West, Bulawayo, and to report once every Friday at the police’s Criminal Investigation Department fraud section between 6am and 6pm, until the matter is finalised.

Last week, his lawyer, Sophie Matimba, of Lazarus&Sarif Legal Practitioners applied for bail pending appeal on his behalf, arguing the State had not proven his guilt beyond any reasonable doubt.

State counsel Timothy Makoni opposed the application. The court heard that in 2004, Sewera was employed by IGI as a manager when the company got 764 council employees into its life assurance scheme and collected premiums for both the group and individual schemes.

However, he would deposit part of the money into the IGI account and pocket the rest. Using the same method, he misappropriated $66 382,72.