Police said sometime in February this year Karoro, who is
also the Mbire MP, advised the assistant manager GMB, one Mushumbi, that he was
going to collect 700 bags of Compound D 50 kgs bags of fertiliser for his
constituency.
It was alleged that the GMB assistant manager agreed, and
advised Karoro to supply him with details of people who were going to collect
the consignment and was given the name of one Dean Zimunya.
Police say in April at an unknown date, one Widdorn Chiodze
was approached by Jerry Phiri who advised him that Karoro was selling 700 bags
of fertilisers at US$16 per bag.
It is alleged that Chiodze paid US$$10 700 to Phiri for the
700 bags and they agreed that the balance of US$$5 000 would be used to
transport the fertiliser.
Phiri allegedly took the money to Karoro and on April 21
Chiodze proceeded to GMB Mushumbi and was issued with a goods dispense voucher
in Karoro’s name and collected the 700 bags of fertiliser.
It is alleged Karoro got wind that a report had been filed
with the police in connection with the same fertiliser, which was supposed to
be distributed to farmers in his constituency under the Presidential Inputs Programme.
Karoro reportedly made an effort to return the fertiliser
to GMB.
It is alleged Karoro engaged Mugove Glen Chidamba to return
the consignment, but Chidamba was arrested in the process.
A total of 400 bags of fertiliser was recovered by police
from Chiodze.
Chidamba was last
week granted $50 000 bail when he appeared at the Harare magistrates court
facing theft charges and was represented
by lawyer Lucky Dube .
Chidamba with the assistance of Karoro allegedly sourced
the outstanding 300 bags of Compound D fertiliser bags from the black market,
which were labelled Compound D Farm and City Fert.
They then took the fertilisers to GMB Aspindale purporting
that the fertiliser was from GMB Mushumbi Depot and they wanted to swap it with
Ammonium Nitrate.
Preliminary tests revealed that some of the purported
fertiliser was stashed with soil, prejudicing the GMB of US$14 400.
It is alleged that on April 25, Chidamba with the
assistance of Karoro, received 400 bags
of Ammonium Nitrate fertilisers from GMB Aspindale, Harare which was supposed
to be transported to GMB Mushumbi for distribution to local farmers in his
constituency.
They sold 200 bags to different customers in Harare and did
not deliver the fertilizer to GMB Mushumbi.
On April 29, the GMB Aspindale manager learnt that the
truck with 400 bags of Ammonium Nitrate had not reached GMB Mushumbi depot and
contacted Karoro.
To cover up for the alleged offence, Chidamba with the help
of Karoro returned 200 bags of Ammonium Nitrate, 13250kg Super Fert Calcium
Ammonium Nitrate and 69 x 50kg Super Fert cotton top dressing Calcium Ammonium
Nitrate misrepresenting that it was the same fertiliser they had collected from
the same depot.
But preliminary tests conducted revealed that some of the
bags were mixed with soil prejudicing
GMB of US$9000.
The minister who is the alleged accomplice is yet to be
arrested. Standard
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