TELECEL Zimbabwe has suspended acting chairperson Jane Mutasa and scrapped her position on the company’s board of directors in the wake of allegations that she defrauded the mobile phone operator of US$750 000.

A statement released following a board meeting on Friday said Mutasa was being suspended to allow her “an opportunity” to deal with the fraud allegations which are now before the courts.

“The directors resolved to suspend Mrs Mutasa as director of the company to afford her an opportunity to defend herself against the charges that have been preferred against her by the state following allegations of fraud brought to the police by the company.

“The board has also abolished the position of acting chairperson that Mrs Mutasa carried,”the statement read.

Mutasa along with her personal assistant Caroline Gwinyai and the firm’s regional sales manager Charles Mapurisa allegedly defrauded the mobile phone operator of US$750 000 in an airtime scam.

Also facing the same charges is the company’s commercial director, Naquib Omar.

The state alleges that last year the then Telecel managing director, Mr Rex Chibesa, communicated to all staff members that they should stop selling airtime and lines using manual invoice books.

However, the quartet together with other workers, defied the directive and ordered airtime and lines using a manual invoice book on behalf of Mutasa’s firm Oxygon Investments.

The orders were not captured in the Telecel data system, for the purposes of swindling the company, it is alleged.

Mutasa’s assistant Gwinyai allegedly received the goods which were delivered by a Telecel driver and kept them in Mrs Mutasa’s office.

The prosecution also claims that several workers who were involved in the scam have since turned into state witnesses and were assisting police with investigations.