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Court Reporter

TWO more suspects allegedly involved in a scam involving millions at POSB appeared in court on Saturday.

Hazel and Malvin Makarau of Sakubva in Mutare appeared before Harare magistrate Barbra Mateko and were charged with fraud.

The court freed them on $5 000 bail each and the State led by Mr Peter Kachirika told the court that on June 13 this year, Hazel received $30 000 000 in her POSB account.

She is alleged to have transferred a total of $201 000 into various EcoCash accounts using a Steward Bank POS machine registered in Moses Maguchu’s name.

On the same date, Hazel teamed up with Malvin and went to Metro Peech & Browne Wholesalers in Mutare and bought goods worth $20 102.

It is alleged that they went to TV Sales and Home where they bought a bed for $28 575 and a freezer worth $26 620 at Mutare Mart.

On the same day, $30 000 000 was transferred into the POSB accounts of Audrey Nhokwara, Tanaka Trevor Muradzia and Chipo Fifteen.

A POSB accounts officer stationed at Causeway Building in Harare, Mercy Meda, police assistant inspector Tawanda Martin Mavhiya and John Nyika have since appeared in court in connection with the same transfers.

They were freed on $5 000 bail each. Circumstances leading to the trio’s arrest are that they connived with four others who are still at large to defraud POSB.

On June 13 Meda allegedly made a $32 million deposit into Mavhiya’s bank account. On the following day, Mavhiya and Nyika went to TM Supermarket in Borrowdale, OK Supermarket in Harare’s city centre and Spar Sam Levy where they purchased groceries worth $6 768.

On June 15, the POSB international banking manager, Caroline Mugonera, reconciled transactions that were made on June 13 on the general ledger account and noted that there were some transactions with high values, which had irregular sources.

Mugonera is said to have notified the POSB authorities who then managed to reverse the payments of $156 690 000 into the five accounts.

On the same day, Mavhiya and Nyika were arrested leading to the recovery of groceries worth $4 264,68.

They are all expected to be back on July 13, 2020 for routine remand.