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Fungai Lupande Court Reporter
The trial of Finance and Economic Development Ministry officials accused of fraudulently releasing $240 000 to the Transport and Infrastructural Development Ministry purportedly for the Harare-Masvingo road construction started yesterday. The money was released through the general ledger system as payment for road services for Harare-Masvingo highway projects offered by Stanax Enterprises.

The Finance Ministry officials are Tawanda Mawundike (30), Brian Nyazamba (34), Shorai Eshille Kamuto (28), Gift Joyful Makura (43) and Gift Gumbira (58) while Macdonald Matowa (33), Malvin Mutsvangiri (37), Winnet Kunonga (36) are from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.

The first witness, Samuel Phiri employed by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development as an economist, nailed Mawundike as the core perpetrator of the offence after using his profile to initiate the crime. In his defence, Mawundike said he was a victim of a poor system in the Ministry of Finance.

The complainant is the Finance and Economic Development Ministry represented by its economist, Mr Samuel Phiri. Prosecutor Mr Norman Tsarwe alleged that on June 10 last year, the eight connived to swindle the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.

Mawundike, who is an economist, allegedly logged into the Public Finance Management System (PFMS) using his EC number 4004285H.

He fraudulently released $240 000 to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development through the general ledger system. The transaction was allegedly done without approval from the Director of Public Sector Investment Programme, Mr Fidelis Ngorora, and Phiri who is responsible for releasing funds to the Transport Ministry. To cover his tracks, Mawundike misrepresented that the funds were released in 2013, it is alleged. Accounting assistant Matowa, also logged into the system and created an invoice indicating that Stanax Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd was to be paid the money.

Kunonga, a revenue accountant, signed the payment request letter for the release of the money and the voucher was referred to an accountant, Nyazamba, before Makura and Gumbira, the accountant-general, finalised the cash transfer to the Transport Ministry’s bank account.

The offence was unearthed on June 12 after follow-ups were made by the accountant-general’s department on the progress of $240 800 payments to CMED for vehicles for the 34th sadc Summit.

The Finance Ministry was then advised that the funds could not be processed since the Transport Ministry had presented payment requests in excess of the amount allocated by Treasury. Investigations unearthed that the request was fraudulently presented resulting in cancellation of the $240 000 payment.