BY A Correspondent

A credit controller at Varichem Pharmaceutical Company was on Wednesday arraigned before the court facing charges of theft of trust property after allegedly embezzling US$300,000 from his employer.

Milton Goremusandu, 42, appeared before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa, who remanded him in custody until Thursday for a bail ruling.

Goremusandu is alleged to have committed the offence in collaboration with his subordinate, Edwell Sibanda, a debtor’s clerk, who is already on remand.

According to court documents, earlier this month the complainant received a tip-off from a whistleblower indicating that Goremusandu and Sibanda were working together to steal funds from the company.

“A preliminary internal investigation revealed that between 2021 and May 2025, the accused collected cash from various company clients—Trinity Pharmacy (US$252,930), Vidamac Pharmaceuticals (US$36,350), Asca Health Care (US$33,220), and Care Point Pharmacy Chinhoyi (US$24,829)—but failed to bank or submit the received funds,” read the court papers.

Goremusandu allegedly instructed Sibanda to process fraudulent journal entries that debited customers who did not owe the company and credited those who had paid, in a bid to conceal the theft.

Using this method, the accused is said to have prejudiced the company of a total of US$347,329.

The matter was reported to the police on 12 May 2025, leading to Sibanda’s arrest at his workplace two days later.

On 18 May 2025, police searched Goremusandu’s residence and recovered a grey Toyota Fortuner SUV valued at approximately US$60,000 and a white Toyota Corolla Axio worth around US$10,000. The vehicles, believed to be proceeds of the crime, were found in the possession of his wife, Miranda Rutendo Mativenga.

The total amount allegedly stolen stands at US$347,329, with two motor vehicles valued at US$70,000 being held as exhibits