A Harare magistrate has struck down businessman Mike Chimombe’s effort to absolve himself from involvement in the notorious US$9 million streetlights contract scandal. Chimombe, well known for his close alliances with Zanu PF, had sought dismissal from prosecution by maintaining that he played no role in securing the deal.
However, Magistrate Stanford Mambanje discerned through Chimombe’s effort to evade accountability. The magistrate highlighted that Chimombe had signed as a witness when Juluka Enndo Joint Venture was granted the tender, a pivotal move culminating in the company receiving the contract and an initial payment. Despite crafting complex sentences to wriggle free from responsibility, the discerning magistrate saw through Chimombe’s excuses and recognized his key role in the controversial contract award.
“If he acted in that manner, then he would face criminal liability. The court has no doubt that the State has revealed everything necessary and it has shown how the crime was committed. All the requisite of a remand have been satisfied there are enough facts for the accused to be placed on remand,” ruled the magistrate.
The charges arise from a $9.2 million fraud case that witnessed the Harare City Council clerk Hosea Chisango and five others detained. The prosecution alleges that Chimombe and accomplice Moses Mpofu, currently detained for a botched $7 million Presidential goat scheme, submitted counterfeit records when bidding for the streetlight contract in May.
The state’s allegations paint a picture of bold deception. Chimombe and Mpofu, representing Juluka Enndo Joint Venture, supposedly furnished a fiscal report signed by a non-existent firm, evidently aiming to mislead authorities. They also erroneously represented conforming with public procurement rules by resubmitting a receipt from a disqualified offer, an unmistakable effort to bypass the system.
Adding insult, the pair dishonestly maintained they had done similar work before for Harare City Council, a fabrication to strengthen their credibility and secure the lucrative tender.
While the tender process fell victim to deception, allowing undeserved profits at taxpayer expense, opportunities remain to shore up vulnerabilities and close ethical lapses. Chimombe and Mpofu, detained since June on the charges, had their temporary release denied again in lower courts. Their ongoing appeal now lands at the High Court for review and resolution.
