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Court Reporter
The Eaglesvale Senior School headmaster, a salaries officer and a bursar accused of embezzling over $800 000 appeared in court last Friday and were remanded to February 2.

The trio will be furnished with a trial date on the next remand date.

The headmaster, Naison Tirivari (60), bursar Charles Shokobishi (57) and salaries officer Cheryl Botha (52) allegedly encashed their leave days and awarded themselves allowances without the board’s approval.

They appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Elijah Ma- komo.

All three are on $1 000 bail each.

It is alleged that sometime last year, the Eaglesvale Senior School’s board members held a meeting to review the school’s financial records.

Inconsistencies in cash-in lieu payments for leave to non-teaching and teaching staff were discovered in 2013.

The board instructed the accused not to encash leave days.

A forensic audit was carried out and it was established that Botha had encashed her leave days.

It is alleged that Botha overstated her bonus from 2011 to 2014, accumulating to $518 007, 58.

Tirivari, who doubled as a Mathematics and Thinking Skills teacher, authorised and approved his cash-in lieu of leave days amounting to $135 377, 50.

He also received termly allowances amounting to $13 366 without the board’s knowledge.

Tirivari allegedly swindled the school of $148 743.

The bursar, Shokobishi, is accused of conniving with Tirivari and receiving $19 903 for 225 leave days, contrary to his employment contract.

Eaglesvale School lost $873 840, 56 and nothing was recovered.