Gokwe-Nembudziya legislator Justice Mayor Wadyajena yesterday indicated that he will next week file an application for refusal of further remand on the matter he is jointly charged with Cotton Company of Zimbabwe bosses where they allegedly misappropriated US$5 834 000 meant for importing bale ties.
Through his lawyer Mr Oliver Marwa, Wadyajena indicated
that he will file his application on September 13.
The State led by Mr Tonderai Dzivakwi indicated that they
will respond to the application on September 19 before Harare regional
magistrate Mr Taurai Manwere makes a ruling on September 21.
Wadyajena, suspended Cottco CEO Pious Manamike, suspended
Cottco marketing manager Maxmore Njanji and Fortunate Molai of Cottco are being
charged with fraud and money laundering.
Mr Manwere also temporarily released Njanji’s passport
until September 30 after he requested it back saying he wanted to travel
outside the country.
Allegations against Wadyajena and the Cottco bosses are
that in January 2019 they allegedly opened a shelf company called Pierpont
Moncroix Zimbabwe, similar in name to a Mauritian company. Cottco raised an
internal requisition stores voucher in March that year for the supply of 3 200
000 92-inch special high carbon bale ties for the 2019 ginning season with
Manamike and Njanji approving.
Molai allegedly prepared a comparative schedule of four
potential suppliers of the bale ties with Pierpont Moncroix Mauritius
recommended by Molai despite being the most expensive.
But very shortly Giant Equipment LLC from United States of
America seemed to have taken over the order and Molai advised that payment was
now to be made to Giant Equipment LLC, USA, and this was done with Manamike
authorising payment of US$1 896 000 as a 75 percent down payment.
Other payments were made for a total of $3 414 000 approved
by Manamike and Njanji and while imports are supposed to be acquitted within 90
days of payment, that is proof given that the goods paid for are now in
Zimbabwe, Cottco kept seeking extensions as nothing arrived.
Investigations established that no bale ties at all arrived
for Giant Equipment and instead 22 Freightliner Horse trucks were delivered by
Giant Equipment in 2019 and 2020 for Mayor Logistics (Pvt) Limited, a company
owned by Wadyajena.
Giant Equipment does not specialise in the supply of bale
ties, but is an American company that supplies trucks and earthmoving
equipment.
This was the part of the case that brought in Wadyajena and
his company into the fraud allegedly organised by the three Cottco bosses.
So far the original down payment to Giant Equipment LLC USA
has not been acquitted since it was made March 2019 and Cottco has been
red-flagged by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, according to the State.
While the original order, supposedly for bale ties but
apparently partly converted to trucks, was still in progress, the State said
that the Cottco bosses approved a second purchase order to Giant Equipment of
another US$1 106 000 in November 2019 although this was delayed nine months as
Cottco had no money until it arranged a currency swop with a bureau de change
for US$1 106 000.
In October last year Molai is said to have generated
another email to Memory Chivanga, who was acting treasurer at Cottco, and
attached a signed purchase order for bale ties to Pierpont Moncroix Mauritius
for US$4 578 078,50.
In her email, she allegedly requested that Cottco treasury
advise on the payment of the deposit for the order which was US$2 500 000. No
physical paperwork was received by Cottco Treasury office.
The Cottco Treasury was only able to raise US$750 000 as a
deposit which was paid in November last year to Energy Park (Pvt) CBZ account
on the instructions of Manamike and his accomplices and then in November US$363
900 of that payment was then transferred to Maropafadzo Energy and US$421 000
was transferred to Energy Park Bulk Fuels on November 24, 2021.
The court heard that investigations established that Energy
Park (Pvt) Ltd is in the fuel industry and sells fuel in bulk and direct to
retailers and does not supply or sell bale ties.
On March 8 and 14 this year two more payments were
allegedly processed from Cottco for US$450 000 to Maropafadzo Energy’s bank
account and US$1 000 000 to Maropafadzo Energy’s Ecobank account.
This now meant that US$2 200 000 was paid against the order
of US$4 578 078.
Payments to Maropafadzo Energy, being part of the order for
bale ties were further transferred into various accounts of individuals and
corporates, both local and international, for procurement of services which had
absolutely nothing to do with the import of bail ties, the reason given in the
records for the orders.
It is alleged that no bale ties were imported from Pierpont
Mauritius (Pvt) Ltd and as a result Cottco was now prejudiced of a total of
US$5 834 000 through the payments to Giant Equipment and the energy companies.
Herald
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