Online Reporter
Fidelis Munyoro
Chief Court Reporter
BUSINESS partners Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe face another day in court over allegations of defrauding the Harare City Council of US$260 000 through an advance payment tied to a US$9 million contract for streetlights deemed fraudulent.
The trial, initially set for yesterday, was deferred to today with agreement from both prosecution and defence.
This legal battle follows closely behind their US$7.7 million fraud case involving the Presidential Input Goats Pass-On Scheme, which has been paused as Justice Pisirayi Kwenda deliberates on the admissibility of a pivotal bid document.
That document has become the crux of the dispute.
The streetlight rehabilitation project, launched by the Harare City Council in January last year, invited bids from 11 companies, including Mpofu’s Juluka Endo Joint Venture (Pvt) Ltd.
Contracts were awarded to multiple bidders, including Juluka Endo, but the State claims Mpofu’s company failed to meet tender requirements. Missing elements reportedly included stamped audited financial statements for the past two years and proof of payment for oversight committee and administration fees.
Despite these shortcomings, council officials allegedly allowed Mpofu to resubmit his bid.
During this process, he is accused of presenting falsified documents, including a recycled bid security dated March 26 that had been used in a prior unsuccessful tender.
Additionally, Mpofu is accused of submitting fraudulent audit statements, supposedly issued by three consultancy firms, which investigations by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission later revealed were non-existent entities.
The prosecution argues that these misrepresentations secured Juluka Endo an unlawful advantage, resulting in the awarding of the lucrative contract.
Chimombe, meanwhile, is accused of signing the agreement as a witness, tying himself to the alleged scheme. The two are said to have received an advance payment of US$260 000 from the City of Harare under the contract.
