THREE Navistar Insurance Brokers executives facing charges of fraud and criminal abuse of office after allegedly defrauding Air Zimbabwe of thousands of dollars yesterday had their bail conditions relaxed and will now report once every week at CID Serious Frauds.
PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI
Prior to the relaxation of the bail conditions by magistrate Noel Mupeiwa, the trio — Givemore Nderere (45), Vukile Hlupo (45) and Orten Mawire (60) — was reporting every day.
Nderere and Hlupo are on $5 000 bail while Mawire is on $1 000 granted by High Court judge Justice Joseph Musakwa. The first two also ceded title deeds for immovable properties and surrendered their passports.
Mawire, who was reporting to police thrice a week, was also ordered not to apply for travel documents. Their lawyer George Mhlanga told the court that they were not yet ready to proceed to trial because they received the State papers only yesterday.
The three accused persons were arrested on allegations of swindling the national airline of over $8 million.
The State alleges that on March 20 2009, former Air Zimbabwe chief executive officer Peter Chikumba and company secretary Grace Pfumbidzai allegedly connived with Nderere, Hlupo and Mawire to defraud the airline by inflating aviation insurance premiums.
Chikumba and Pfumbidzai are accused of swindling the airline of ₤5 175 593 and over $2 million. Together with suspended acting group chief executive officer Innocent Mavhunga, they are appearing on two separate court records where Chikumba is jointly charged with Pfumbidzai, who is also charged on another court record alongside Mavhunga.
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Allegations against Chikumba and Pfumbidzai are that sometime in 2013, the AirZim board of directors chaired by Ozias Bvute queried the amount of money paid to Navistar Insurance Brokers by the airline in respect of aviation insurance premiums for the period between April 2009 and April last year.
The query prompted the board to appoint BCA Forensic Audit who conducted an audit and established that on March 18 2009, Chikumba and Pfumbidzai allegedly corruptly abused their duty as public officers by appointing Navistar to provide aviation insurance cover without going to tender and terminated the services of the existing insurer who was providing the same service.
The State further alleged on March 20 2009, Chikumba and Pfumbidzai connived Nderere, Hlupo and Mawire to defraud the airline by inflating aviation insurance premiums.
In a different case, Mavhunga is alleged to have connived with Pfumbidzai and the Navistar directors to misrepresent to the airline that two A320 Airbuses were not insured.
They allegedly originated fictitious debit notes valued $1 659 276 and $360 448 purportedly to be paid for aviation premiums.
