Fraudulent pair Caged over $20 million Econet scam

A Chipinge magistrate has convicted and jailed two former Econet workers who defrauded their employer of $20 million.

The pair of Mukai Maringe Mapanzure (35) and Gavin Tinashe Guwu (30) who faced 108 and 98 counts respectively were convicted and jailed following their appearance before Chipinge Regional Magistrate Christopher Maturure Thursday last week.

For her criminal offences, Mapanzure was slapped with a seven-year sentence, the regional Masvingo Mirror reported.

However, two years to her sentence were suspended on condition of good behavior while another two years were also suspended on condition that he restitutes the complainant $15 million.

On the other hand, Guwu will now serve an effective two years behind the bars after the magistrate suspended two years to his four-year sentence.

Prosecuting, Walter Saunyama said in 2019, Mapanzure and Guwu hatched a plan to defraud their employer.

They replaced an Econet mobile broadband merchant line 0784953460 with a physical sim card so that they carry out instructed Supplementary Service Data(USSD) transactions by inserting the sim card in a Mobicel cellphone and transferred money into agent lines.

Saunyama said the complainant was prejudiced.

mirror/‌Zwnews