Navistar bosses’ trial deferred to next month

Navistar bossesSenior Court Reporter
The trial of three Navistar Insurance Brokers bosses accused of defrauding Air Zimbabwe of €5 175 593 and US$502 748 in an alleged insurance scam failed to start yesterday after the defence was afforded more time to prepare their defence.
Givemore Nderere (45), Vukile Hlupo (45) and Orten Mawire (60), who yesterday appeared before regional magistrate Mr Noel Mupeiwa and prosecutor Mr Oliver Marwa, sought for postponement of the matter arguing that the documentary evidence that is bulky was ready by Tuesday and they had managed to serve the defence with the documents yesterday.

Mr Mupeiwa then postponed the matter to October 15 to allow the trio to prepare for their defence.

The trio’s lawyer, Mr George Mhlanga, also successfully made an application for relaxation of bail conditions.

Nderere and Hlupo were initially ordered to report daily to CID Serious Frauds as part of their bail conditions, while Mawire was ordered to report three times a week.

Mr Mupeiwa ordered the trio to report once a week to CID Serious Frauds.

The State alleges that the trio connived with the then Air Zimbabwe bosses Peter Chikumba and Grace Nyaradzai Pfumbidzayi to defraud the national airline by inflating aviation insurance premiums.

It is alleged that the group presented several inflated debit notes to the airline, leading to payments of aviation insurance premiums last year. The payments were allegedly made to Colemont Reinsurance (Private) Limited and Marsh Reinsurance Brokers (Private) Limited, both United Kingdom-based companies.

As a result of the misrepresentation, the airline’s finance department released €15 783 452,93 to Navistar.

According to State papers, Navistar only remitted €10 607 859,22 to the two international brokers and pocketed €5 895 695,49.

In May 2009, it is alleged Navistar received US$142 300 from the airline for onward transmission to the European Commission to dodge sanctions.

They allegedly converted the money to their own use, before further pocketing insurance fees.

Meanwhile, Superfresh (Pvt) Ltd general manager Takudzwa Nyika, who is accused of duping maize farmers of more than 1 000 tonnes of maize worth about US$500 000, was last Friday granted US$500 bail.

Harare magistrate Mr Milton Serima, dismissed Nyika’s application for refusal to be placed on remand before granting him bail coupled with stringent bail conditions.

Nyika (26) was ordered to report everyday at CID Serious Frauds, surrender his passport and to reside at the given address pending finalisation of the matter.

Nyika is facing allegations of defrauding maize farmers after promising them US$390 price per tonne.

Through his lawyer Mr Emmanuel Samundombe, Nyika challenged his placement on remand arguing that the facts of the matter do not establish an offence against himself but the company, Superfresh (Pvt) Ltd.

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