In the latest development of the ongoing legal proceedings, Munyaradzi Kereke, former adviser to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, found himself back in court yesterday, facing allegations related to a US$400,000 fraud case. The hearing took place before Harare magistrate Donald Ndirowei, who presided over the matter and subsequently postponed it to June 5 for the allocation of a trial date. Alongside Kereke stands Everisto Rukasha, the suspended chief executive officer of the Harare Municipal Medical Aid Society (HMMAS).
The accusations detail a purported agreement forged in early 2014 between Rukasha and Kereke. According to these fraud allegations, the agreement stipulated that the later would sell his immovable property, known as Fortress Hospital, to HMMAS. Acting on behalf of Kereke, Newton Madzika, the managing director of Health Body Images (Pvt) Ltd, was appointed to oversee the transaction.
On November 7, 2014, HMMAS fulfilled its end of the agreement by remitting the full purchase price of US$800,000. However, matters took a contentious turn on March 18, 2022, when Kereke allegedly colluded with Rukasha to draft and dispatch a letter to HMMAS, falsely asserting that the latter still owed him US$400,000. Consequently, based on this misrepresented debt, HMMAS authorized a payment to purportedly settle the outstanding amount.
