Chimombe And Mpofu Denied Bail In US$9 Million Harare Streetlights Fraud Case
High Court judge Justice Benjamin Chikowero has dismissed a bail appeal from jailed business partners Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe.
They are accused of defrauding the Harare City Council of US$9 million in a failed streetlights tender deal.
On Thursday, Justice Chikowero read only the key part of his ruling, saying the full reasons for the decision will be provided later.
Mpofu’s lawyer, Tapson Dzvetero, told reporters that they are now awaiting the complete judgment to receive further instructions from their clients. He said:
Our appeal has been thrown out. The judge said the reasons will be made available in due course. We are now awaiting the judgment to determine our next course of action.
The allegations against Mpofu and Chimombe arise from a streetlight rehabilitation project initiated by the Harare City Council in January last year.
The council received bids from 11 companies, including Mpofu’s Juluka Endo Joint Venture (Pvt) Ltd.
However, Mpofu’s company did not meet the required tender criteria, which included submitting stamped audited financial statements for the last two years and proof of payment for oversight committee fees.
Despite this, council officials allowed Mpofu to resubmit his bid. He is accused of submitting falsified documents during this process.
Last week, their appeal was dismissed in a separate case where they are accused of misappropriating $7 million in state funds from another tender fraud.
High Court judge Justice Pisirayi Kwenda ruled that they are considered flight risks, given the potential jail time they could face if convicted.
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