Goats scandal: Businessmen pocket US$7m in dirty deal
MOSES MATENGA/TANAKA FETINANDI
Corruption-accused businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu pocketed over US$7m after misrepresenting to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and National Social Security Authority (NSSA) to secure a tax clearance and a compliance certificate respectively to enter into a deal to supply goats for a Presidential scheme.
Chimombe, a Zanu PF Central Committee member, and his co-accused, Mpofu, endured the cold winter behind bars after they were remanded in custody ahead of their bail application hearing today.
The two have been linked to several corruption-related cases including the street lights tender and another involving the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
According to the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) the two forged a ZIMRA tax clearance certificate and a NSSA compliance certificate in the name of Blackdeck Private Limited and attached them in a bidding document which they submitted to the ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development for a tender for the supply and delivery of goats for the Presidential Goat Pass-On-Scheme.
“They misrepresented that the company was in full compliance with ZIMRA and NSSA requirements.
“Investigations indicated that the QR code was not genuine. Investigations further established that Blackdeck Private Limited was deregistered from the NSSA system in January 2016. It was also established that Blackdeck Private Limited had a forged tax clearance certificate which belonged to a different company,” the NPA said.
“Acting on the misrepresentation, the Ministry of Lands contracted Blackdeck Private Limited on the 3rd of November 2021. The ministry transferred ZWL901 294 200 and ZWL698 705 800 on the 21st of April 2022 and the 29th of June 2022 respectively into their bank account.”
The total amount, the NPA said, was ZWL1.6bn and was equivalent to US$7 712 197.
“Following delays in delivery of the goats, the ministry of Lands officials made several engagements with the accused persons. The accused persons misrepresented that they had mobilised 32 500 goats across the provinces which were ready to be distributed to the beneficiaries. However, a verification process revealed that the accused only had 3 713 goats in their holding sites. The ministry cancelled the contract on the 29th of August 2022 following the discovery.”
The accused persons allegedly only supplied a total of 4 208 goats valued at US$331 445 and went on to convert US$7 380 751 to their personal use. Nothing was recovered.
Chimombe and Mpofu’s lawyers could not comment more on the issue saying the case was still in its infancy.
On Monday, the duo, who had been in China as the anti-corruption hawks indicated they wanted them for questioning, appeared before the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission where they were briefly questioned over a US$40 million Zimbabwe Electoral Commission tender.
