Former Croco Motors parts manager Joseph Matinyarare and his accomplice, receiving clerk Stephen Chafachaipa, have been sentenced to community service by Harare regional magistrate Mr Ngoni Nduna for defrauding their employer of $107,484,633 in 2020.
Joseph Matinyarare received a six-year prison sentence, with two years suspended on the condition that he performs 840 hours of community service at Waterfalls Clinic and repays Croco Motors $5,744,491 by April 30.
Chafachaipa was sentenced to four years in prison, suspended on condition that he completes 490 hours of community service at Budiriro 5 Primary School.
During sentencing, Mr Nduna considered the irrecoverable loss suffered by Croco Motors, as argued by the State led by Mrs Cecilia Mashingaidze. Matinyarare requested a non-custodial sentence, citing the forfeiture of all his properties by the State.
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Mr Nduna highlighted that Matinyarare, as the manager of the section from which he stole, bore more responsibility than Chafachaipa. However, he acknowledged the impact of high inflation on the value of the stolen funds, rendering traditional sentencing approaches less effective.
The court found that the two colluded to steal car parts, falsifying records in the company’s computer system to conceal their actions. An internal audit in September 2020 uncovered the irregularities, leading to Matinyarare admitting to storing stolen parts at his home.
Last year, Matinyarare’s properties were forfeited to the State after it was established that he acquired them using proceeds from criminal activities between 2016 and 2020.
