SELF-STYLED prophet Passion Java yesterday laid fraud charges against Zanu PF-linked businessmen Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe over a corrupt Harare tender deal for street lights.
Mpofu and Chimombe are facing charges of using false documents to win the US$9 million Harare City Council tender to rehabilitate street lights.
Harare City Council town clerk Hosea Chisango is in remand prison following his arrest in connection with the case.
In the latest development, Java is accusing the two businessmen of defrauding him of US$300 000 over the same tender.
Java filed a report against the two businessmen at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport police post upon his return from South Africa.
The matter was reported under RRB number 4808770.
According to information obtained by Standard People, Java alleged that sometime in June 2024, Mpofu and Chimombe lured him to invest US$300 000 in the streetlight tender deal through a company called Juluka Projects and plant hire.
The company is owned by Mpofu and Chimombe.
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Java alleges that Mpofu and Chimombe were aware that they had fraudulently obtained the tender deal.
According to state papers, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission is alleging that Mpofu and Chimombe misrepresented that their company was in compliance with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.
They allegedly submitted a financial report claiming that it was audited by a consultancy company but investigations have revealed that it was not registered.
Mpofu and Chimombe were slapped with fraud charges related to the tender at a time when they were behind bars facing allegations of defrauding the state over US$7 million in a botched presidential goat scheme.
The duo allegedly forged a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority tax clearance certificate and a National Social Security Authority compliance certificate in the name of their Blackdeck Private Limited for a Lands ministry tender for the supply of goats under the scheme.
Acting on the misrepresentations, the state says the ministry went on to pay 30% of the contract in the local currency, an amount of ZWL1.6 billion which was allegedly equivalent to US$7,712,197 in two instalments on April 21, 2022, and June 29, 2022.
Following delays in delivering the goats, the ministry engaged Blackdeck and was informed that the company had mobilised 32.500 goats across the provinces which were ready to be distributed to the final beneficiaries.
A verification process by the ministry at various sites, it is alleged, however showed that the company only had 3.713 goats.
To date, the prosecution says 4 208 goats worth US$331.445.25 have been delivered and the ministry was prejudiced of US$7.380.751.85.
They have since been indicted for trial at the High Court from October 1 to 4 on a continuous roll.
