Midlands-based Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depot manager and his wife on Tuesday appeared before Gweru magistrate Progress Murandu facing charges of defrauding the parastatal of more than $25 000.

BY Stephen Chadenga

Lazarus Vhengere and Tanatsiwa Munyanyiwa appeared before Murandu for initial remand.

Vhengere is facing two counts of criminal abuse of office, while his spouse Munyanyiwa faces one count of fraud.

The GMB boss was remanded out of custody on $100 bail, while Munyanyiwa was granted $50 bail.

The couple, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, were remanded to January 30, with the State indicating that investigations were still incomplete.

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The State case is that sometime between September 2017 and November last year, Vhengere, acting in common purpose with his wife, allegedly hatched a plan and defraud the depot.

The court heard that the couple misrepresented to GMB Gweru depot that Munyanyiwa had brought products from the parastatal worth $25 344,26 using electronic means.

It is alleged that the couple collected cash from GMB and replaced it with electronic money.

The State alleges that the GMB Gweru depot suffered prejudice of its good corporate governance.

The couple are represented by Reginald Chidawanyika, while Namatirai Madzudzu appeared for the State.