Chicken Slice Ex-Accountant Faces Court for Shocking US$45K Fraud Scandal

Tinashe Zengenene, an ex-accountant at Chicken Slice, has appeared in court on charges of fraud, diverting payments worth US$45K meant for suppliers to his personal use.

Discovery of Pending Payments Raises Alarm

Senior internal auditor, Paddington Mungate, raised concerns when he discovered that certain payment transactions dating back to 2022 were still pending. This prompted an internal investigation.

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Internal Investigation Reveals Misuse of Funds

During interrogation, Zengenene cleared some transactions but failed to address others. Subsequent investigations revealed that he had misappropriated funds that were under his control.

Responsibilities as Financial Accountant

As a financial accountant, Zengenene held the authority to authorize company payments and conduct daily account reconciliations.

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Pending Transactions Trigger Investigation

Mungate, responsible for verifying payments made by the company to suppliers, unearthed pending payment transactions from 2022. In light of this, he commenced an investigation since the company had released funds to clear all outstanding payments.

Failure to Clear Outstanding Transactions

Mungate engaged Zengenene, who was responsible for paying suppliers, and granted him a two-week period to clear the pending transactions. However, Zengenene failed to clear some transactions, leaving them unresolved.

Suppliers Confirm Non-Payment

On February 1, Mungate obtained statements from ten suppliers, revealing that funds allocated by Zengenene had not been received by the intended recipients.

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Internal Audit and Unrecovered Funds

A preliminary internal audit conducted by the company discovered that despite releasing US$45,146 to Zengenene for supplier payments, the ten companies had not been paid. Unfortunately, no funds were recovered.

Legal Proceedings

The State is represented by Rufaro Chonzi in this ongoing case. The court proceedings will determine the outcome and potential consequences for Tinashe Zengenene, who faces charges of fraud for diverting company funds for personal use.