Fungai Lupande Court Reporter
EAGLESVALE Senior School’s headmaster, salaries officer and bursar who are accused of embezzling over $800 000 in school funds yesterday pleaded not guilty to fraud. The headmaster Naison Tirivari (60), bursar Charles Shokobishi (57) and salaries officer Cheryl Botha (52) told Harare magistrate Mr Adonia Masawi that since Eaglesvale is run by the Dutch Reformed Church, the school could not be the complainant in the matter.
“Eaglesvale Senior School is not a legally known person,” argued the trio. “The school is run by the Dutch Reformed Church and the responsible authority is the trust. The school is not incorporated.” Prosecutor Mr Timothy Makoni insisted that the trio were rightfully on remand and their application for exception was “frivolous and vexatious”.
Mr Masawi will make a ruling today. The complainant in the matter is Eaglesvale Senior School’s board vice chairman Mr Willard Gonde.
Mr Makoni alleged that sometime last year, Eaglesvale Senior School’s board members held a meeting to look at the school’s financial records. It is alleged that inconsistencies in cash in lieu of leave payments to non-teaching and teaching staff were discovered.
The board instructed the accused in 2013 not to encash leave days. A forensic audit was carried out and it was established that Botha encashed her leave days in breach of the order.
It was discovered that Botha entered varying amounts on other staff members’ cash in lieu of leave on payrolls sent for authorisation. Once the authorisation was obtained from the headmaster, Botha would then alter the electronic payroll to have the cash in lieu of leave allocated to her pay. Botha allegedly effected payment through her CBZ account 008920804980033. It is alleged that she overstated her bonus from 2011 to 2014 accumulating to $518 007, 58.