LUPANE — Former Matabeleland North Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) coordinator Permanent Sibanda (42) convicted on fraud charges last month, yesterday told the court he used blank receipts plucked out of an unused receipt book provided by two Kusile Rural District Council employees to defraud his employer and the local authority.
Sibanda was charged together with three Kusile council employees.
The officials are alleged to have defrauded the local authority of $1 920.
However, Sibanda’s co-accused, Kusile council revenue clerk Mandla Moyo, former council employee Mpendulo Manga and council bookkeeper Jabulani Sibanda denied the fraud charge at the close of the State case on Tuesday.
Two months ago, Sibanda was fined $300 for the theft of SRC money after he admitted to making false claims that he had paid rentals to the council and submitted bogus receipts as proof of payment. Meanwhile, Moyo and Jabulani were remanded out of custody to September 7 on free bail.
Manga was found not guilty and discharged for lack of evidence.
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When Sibanda testified in the ongoing trial of his co-accused, he told the court that Moyo had been authorised by Jabulani to give him the blank receipts.
Moyo allegedly gave Sibanda 10 blank council receipts to fill in details purporting to be a confirmation that the latter had paid rentals for the council house he was renting.
Sibanda said they forged figures on the receipts to cover up the alleged crime and shared the proceeds. However, Jabulani denied the claims.
The alleged crime is alleged to have occurred sometime between June 2010 and July 2011, where council and the SRC were defrauded of $1 920.