Four Nedbank bank tellers arrested for US$ fraud
By Nqobile Tshili
Police in Bulawayo have arrested four Nedbank Zimbabwe bank tellers for allegedly defrauding their employer of nearly US$15 000.
Nedbank is a local unit of one of South Africa’s largest financial services groups.
The tellers would allegedly connive with clients to swap deposits of RTGS$ into US$ accounts thereby enabling the clients to withdraw US$ at a rate of 1:1 with the RTGS$.
Police arrested Mehluli Nyoni (31), Dumoluhle Dlomo (33) Joseph Chikwata (43) and Tafadzwa Nyakutomba (42) who are part of the bank’s 28 employees countrywide who allegedly used the same modus operandi to fleece the financial institution of over US$1,1 million.
Our sister paper, The Sunday Mail, exposed the million dollar scandal at the weekend.
Bulawayo police spokesperson, Chief Inspector Precious Simango, confirmed the four’s arrest but declined to give details.
“I can’t comment on the issue anymore as it is being handled by our courts,” said Chief Insp Simango.
However, The Chronicle managed to access reports detailing how the four bank tellers allegedly defrauded the financial institution.
The crime was exposed after Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mangudya announced a new monetary policy last year in October instructing banks to separate Foreign Currency Accounts from the RTGS ones.
“On October 1, 2018, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe issued a Monetary Policy Statement directing banks to separate Foreign Currency accounts and RTGS accounts.
“While checking the bank records and systems, Mr Njabulo Ncube the Nedbank Zimbabwe Forensic Risk Manager discovered that the accused persons during the course of duty in connivance with clients would receive deposits in RTGS and credit the amount to Foreign Currency accounts of the same clients.
“This would give the same the clients’ access to foreign currency which they did not deposit. As a result the bank suffered foreign currency prejudice of US $14 492,” said a source at the bank.
About 28 employees have been arrested in Harare, Bulawayo, Zvishavane and Chegutu as the bank cracks down on the alleged corruption.
Some of the employees that were implicated in the scam are reportedly on the run.
The scam was reportedly detected by the South Africa-headquartered parent of the local bank.
There are fears that creative transactions of this nature were an industry-wide practice. The Chronicle
