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A Kenyan national has been charged with fraud in relation to the hacking of the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) systems and the siphoning of Sh2.4 billion ($20 million) from its bank account.
The 40-year-old woman appeared in court on January 5, 2023, before Magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
She was then ordered to return to court on January 6 for a bail application hearing.
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Zimdef House in Zimbabwe
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According to the prosecution, she conspired with two other individuals, who are still at large, to hack into the Zimdef database in December 2022.
During this time, Zimdef lost a total of Sh14 billion ($120 million) to hackers.
The offense was brought to the attention of Zimdef on December 28 through an email from a whistle-blower, who alerted the organization to the fact that its internal systems had been hacked and its accounts accessed.
Sh2.4 billion of the money was then transferred to various accounts that are believed to be connected to the suspects.
In addition to the fraud charges, she is also accused of violating the conditions of her tourist visa by working or conducting business in Zimbabwe.