Ex-Access Forex employee nabbed in massive fraud

Zim Now Writer

A former Access Forex employee is in hot water after allegedly orchestrating a sophisticated fraud scheme that cost the financial institution over US$322,510 and ZAR650,000. Grace Makozho, who was based in South Africa during her employment with Access Forex, appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mr. Donald Ndirowei on Monday, facing charges of fraud, money laundering, and providing false information to a public authority. She was remanded in custody, with a bail ruling expected today.

The State, represented by Mr. Lancelot Mutsokoti, alleges that in April 2023, Makozho used a colleague's login credentials to illicitly access Access Forex's internal transfer system. She then purportedly created fictitious remittance accounts and transferred funds from Access Forex South Africa to 91 individuals in Zimbabwe. Among these recipients are two suspected accomplices, Dickson Gweshe and Shepherd Gweshe, who are currently at large.

The prosecution detailed how the 91 recipients allegedly collected the disbursed funds from Access Forex tellers in Zimbabwe and subsequently handed the cash over to Makozho. It is alleged that Makozho personally traveled from South Africa to Zimbabwe to collect the ill-gotten gains.

Furthermore, the State contends that Makozho utilized the stolen funds to acquire properties and channeled some of the money into two FNB bank accounts in South Africa in an attempt to obscure its criminal origin.

The elaborate fraud was brought to light during an internal audit that flagged the remittance accounts as fraudulent and unregistered. To date, no recoveries have been made.

Following a tip-off, detectives located Makozho at her rural home in Chiredzi. Upon approach, she allegedly attempted to mislead the officers by identifying herself as Millicent Kwangwari, claiming to be the sister of a fugitive. However, a search of her possessions revealed her true identity card, leading to her confession.