Source: NSSA officer faces $34m corruption allegations | The Herald
Nyore Madzianike Senior Court Reporter
NATIONAL Social Security Authority (NSSA) assistant accountant, Erasmus Mavondo, appeared in court yesterday on allegations of corruptly awarding the general manager a personal loan to buy a top of the range car using undervalued exchange rate when he converted the money from United State dollars into local currency.
Mavondo was not asked to plead to the criminal abuse of duty as a public officer charges when he appeared before regional magistrate Mr Taurai Manwere, who remanded him to December on $100 000 bail.
He allegedly made the NSSA general manager to buy a new Mercedes Benz E53 AMG for $25 351 418,60 instead of $60 251 593.80, which was equivalent of US$178 000 extended to the general manager as personal loan.
Mavondo, who is represented by lawyer Mr Claudios Tafirei, allegedly prejudiced NSSA of $34 900 175 after converting the US$178 000 using a March 31, 2022 $1:142 instead of $1:138 as of June 21, 2022.
Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti alleges that on March 29 this year NSSA raised a purchase order to ZIMOCO for the purchase of a condition of service vehicle for the NSSA general manager, a Mercedes Benz E53 AMG.
It is said that on March 30, ZIMOCO raised a proforma invoice of US$131 427.44 for cost, insurance and freight value and another invoice of US$46 572.56 as duty which was payable into ZIMRA account from NSSA.
NSSA paid US$178 000 to ZIMOCO towards the purchases of a Mercedes Benz E53 AMG for its general manager.
On June 20 the general manager sought authority to convert the Mercedes Benz bought for him as a condition of service vehicle to personal car.
The court heard that on the following day, the general manager applied for a motor vehicle personal loan of US$178 000 to cover the cost for the Mercedes Benz E53 AMG paid by NSSA to ZIMOCO.
According to the State, the application was allegedly corruptly approved by the authority’s board chairman.
On the same day, Mavondo, who was responsible for processing loans and in a bid to show favour to the general manager of NSSA, allegedly converted US$178 000, which was to be paid for the vehicle by the general manager to Zimbabwean dollars using the interbank rate of March 31, 2022 of $1: 142.4237 instead of using the prevailing interbank rate of June 21, 2022 of $1: 338.4921.
Mavondo allegedly made the NSSA general manager to purchase the new vehicle, which was yet to be delivered, for $25 351 418.60 instead of $60 251 593.80 equivalent of US$178 000. NSSA lost $34 900 175.20 in the process, it is said.
