Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, who are the two main suspects in the US$40 million Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) tender scandal, have said they are unable to hand themselves over to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) for interviews as they are currently out of the country.
ZACC on Sunday said it was seeking to interview Mpofu, Chimombe, and Wicknell Chivayo to gather more information about the alleged ZEC deal and its beneficiaries.
Chimombe and Mpofu’s lawyers, Antonio & Dzvetero Legal Practitioners, wrote to ZACC spokesperson Thandiwe Mlobane on Monday, June 17, saying their clients are currently “out of the country”, but will soon avail themselves once they are back. They wrote:
We act for and on behalf of Messrs. Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe who have been made aware of press releases and / or advertisements in various media outlets, including print and electronic media, indicating your interest in interviewing them as part of an ongoing investigation.
Our clients are currently out of the country and will not be able to attend any interviews until their return to Zimbabwe, however, they are willing to co-operate fully with the investigations and are available to attend any requested interviews upon their return.
Chivayo, an ex-convict, is at the centre of the scandal after he allegedly pocketed the proceeds of the corrupt deal after sidelining Mpofu and Chimombe.
Reports indicate that Chivayo won contracts of up to US$40 million with ZEC in the run-up to the August 2023 general elections for the provision of tents, electronic devices, biometric hardware and software, ink, and training among others.
Mpofu and Chimombe, who are demanding US$10 million in lost earnings from Chivayo, have released damaging information on him, including a deal involving the South African firm, Ren Form.
According to The NewsHawks, ZEC, in February 2023 initiated a procurement process and handpicked Chivayo and his partners to supply key electoral materials.
Chivayo, in collaboration with Chimombe and Mpofu, through Better Brands Security (Pvt) Ltd, owned by Scott Sakupwanya, entered into an agreement with Ren-Form CC, on 13 February 2023 to participate in Zimbabwe’s election tenders.
It is alleged that in cahoots with Ren-Form officials, Chivayo later fraudulently amended the agreement to remove his fellow business partners and grabbed the money for himself, 66% of the payments.
The parties agreed that Ren-Form would invoice and receive payments from ZEC, before depositing Better Brands’ portion into a South African bank account, and this left Chimombe and Mpofu livid.
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