Four top Zimbabwe Media Commission employees showed up in court Friday charged with stealing millions of dollars worth of fuel. Executive Secretary Godwin Phiri, accountant Tafadzwa Chikwiti, administrator Mercy Hondo, and Revai Madire all stood together before Harare Magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa. The court hit them with two fraud charges but didn't ask them to answer yet. Each paid $600 US dollars in bail money and will come back on April 28.
Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti said these crimes happened from May 2023 through February 2024. The four worked with fugitive Petros Mudhokwani to steal from their workplace. Mudhokwani requested fuel purchases from PetroTrade first. Then Chikwiti entered these requests into the commission's computer system called Systems Application and Products.
Phiri approved money for buying fuel coupons as part of the scheme. Another man still running from police, Tawanda Hlomai, collected 104,976 liters worth of fuel coupons directly from PetroTrade. They wrote down that every drop went to the commission, but only 45,120 liters ever appeared in records. Their lies helped them steal 59,856 liters of fuel away from their employer.
The commission lost exactly ZWL 54,836,704.95 from this theft, and nobody has paid back anything. For their second crime, they copied the same plan. Phiri signed papers letting ZWL51 million flow into several bank accounts. The group grabbed this cash as foreign currency instead of Zimbabwe dollars. Everything stayed hidden until somebody did an audit that found missing money, prompting a police report.
Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti said these crimes happened from May 2023 through February 2024. The four worked with fugitive Petros Mudhokwani to steal from their workplace. Mudhokwani requested fuel purchases from PetroTrade first. Then Chikwiti entered these requests into the commission's computer system called Systems Application and Products.
Phiri approved money for buying fuel coupons as part of the scheme. Another man still running from police, Tawanda Hlomai, collected 104,976 liters worth of fuel coupons directly from PetroTrade. They wrote down that every drop went to the commission, but only 45,120 liters ever appeared in records. Their lies helped them steal 59,856 liters of fuel away from their employer.
The commission lost exactly ZWL 54,836,704.95 from this theft, and nobody has paid back anything. For their second crime, they copied the same plan. Phiri signed papers letting ZWL51 million flow into several bank accounts. The group grabbed this cash as foreign currency instead of Zimbabwe dollars. Everything stayed hidden until somebody did an audit that found missing money, prompting a police report.
