TOBACCO Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) board chairperson Patrick Devenish was yesterday granted bail on two charges of criminal abuse of office.
Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa granted Devenish US$300 bail on the first count, where he is jointly accused with TIMB former chief executive Meanwell Gudu and US$200 on another count that he is being jointly-charged with TIMB company secretary Tariro Chitsunge with consent.
Devenish and Chitsunge were arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission on the allegation that in 2021 they fraudulently granted a US$397 739,51 loan to a local company without the knowledge of other TIMB board members and a board resolution.
The loan was in support of the Agrarian Reform Programme under a fund established by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), TIMB and Agribank to support tobacco farmers during the 2020/21 growing season.
The objective was to improve tobacco productivity through viable production of Flue Cured Virginia tobacco of export quality and an increase in the size of the national crop.
The court heard that Devenish’s duties as a public officer among others, include leading the board and focusing it on strategic matters, overseeing the company’s business, setting high governance standards and approving all contracts with values above US$50 000 through a board resolution.
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Gudu’s duties, among others, included executing and implementing operational strategies, policies and procedures in support of the company’s goals and objectives.
Devenish and Gudu allegedly generated two contract agreements, where they misrepresented that the loan was being granted under the Tobacco Inputs Credit Scheme funded by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), while well aware that the funding of the Tobacco Inputs Credit Scheme by RBZ had been stopped.
The State alleged that other board members only came to know about the loan in 2023 after the current acting chief executive officer Emmanuel Matsvaire brought it up in a full board meeting.
Allegations are that on August 18 last year, Chitsunge raised an internal purchase requisition for seven cellphones and seven laptops.
The State alleged that in line with procedure, TIMB placed a tender advert for the supply and delivery of cellphones, tablets and laptops in the Government Gazette on August 25, 2023 inviting the public to participate in the competitive bidding process.
On September 22, an evaluation meeting was conducted, with only one bidder, Craig Computers, having participated in the tender.
However, Craig Computers was not compliant with the competitive bidding requirements.