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Mnangagwa's UAE investment adviser swindled Indian man $2.3 million
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In a shocking revelation, Tempter Paul Tungwarara, the investment adviser to President Emmerson Mnangagwa for the United Arab Emirates, has been accused of swindling an Indian investor, Razaa Jishan, out of US$2.3 million. Tungwarara allegedly sold a property he did not own and failed to deliver on promises, including work permits and licenses for Jishan's proposed business in Zimbabwe.
Jishan, who had plans to establish a gaming business in Harare, was introduced to Tungwarara by a third party in late 2022. Tungwarara allegedly presented himself as a director of a company called Prevail International and showed Jishan a board resolution authorizing him to sell a property located at 3 Tyward Close, Ballantyne Park, in the upscale Highlands area.
According to a police complaint filed by Jishan, he paid Tungwarara $1.3 million in five installments from October to December 2022 for the property. Tungwarara was also contracted to build offices and a septic tank at the location, for which he received an additional $550,000 and $99,000, respectively.
Tungwarara promised to secure Jishan a gaming license and offered to facilitate work permits for 450 Indian workers to staff the new business. However, none of these promises materialized. Instead, Jishan discovered that the property he had paid for was not owned by Tungwarara, but by a company called Hopsick Investments.
As the situation worsened, Tungwarara allegedly locked Jishan and his workers out of the property in February 2023, and in March, he arrived with armed men to evict them. Jishan now claims to have lost a total of US$2,294,000 in the fraudulent deal.
Further investigations have revealed that Tungwarara has a history of fraudulent activities. In 2019, he allegedly borrowed US$350,000 from businessman Jospher Chibisa, claiming he had construction tenders for State House. Tungwarara repaid only a fraction of the loan, and when Chibisa filed a police report for fraud, the case mysteriously disappeared, with Chibisa later submitting a letter to the first lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, requesting intervention.
In addition to his fraudulent activities involving Jishan, Tungwarara has used his proximity to President Mnangagwa to secure lucrative government contracts. His Paulos Construction company won a tender to build a perimeter wall around State House, though the Ministry of Finance rejected a US$15 million invoice from the company. Tungwarara has also won a government tender to drill thousands of boreholes across Zimbabwe under the "presidential borehole scheme."
Reports have also surfaced of Tungwarara distributing cash to war veterans and promising to build housing for them, as well as drilling boreholes for each veteran, amid growing discontent within the war veteran community over Mnangagwa's leadership.
Despite the mounting allegations, Tungwarara has declined to respond to inquiries from the media.
Police have been aware of Tungwarara's criminal activities but appear to have been unable to make significant progress in their investigations. Critics suggest that Tungwarara's political connections with Mnangagwa may be allowing him to suppress accountability for his actions.
As investigations continue, the full extent of Tungwarara's fraudulent activities and his use of political influence remains unclear.
Jishan, who had plans to establish a gaming business in Harare, was introduced to Tungwarara by a third party in late 2022. Tungwarara allegedly presented himself as a director of a company called Prevail International and showed Jishan a board resolution authorizing him to sell a property located at 3 Tyward Close, Ballantyne Park, in the upscale Highlands area.
According to a police complaint filed by Jishan, he paid Tungwarara $1.3 million in five installments from October to December 2022 for the property. Tungwarara was also contracted to build offices and a septic tank at the location, for which he received an additional $550,000 and $99,000, respectively.
Tungwarara promised to secure Jishan a gaming license and offered to facilitate work permits for 450 Indian workers to staff the new business. However, none of these promises materialized. Instead, Jishan discovered that the property he had paid for was not owned by Tungwarara, but by a company called Hopsick Investments.
As the situation worsened, Tungwarara allegedly locked Jishan and his workers out of the property in February 2023, and in March, he arrived with armed men to evict them. Jishan now claims to have lost a total of US$2,294,000 in the fraudulent deal.
In addition to his fraudulent activities involving Jishan, Tungwarara has used his proximity to President Mnangagwa to secure lucrative government contracts. His Paulos Construction company won a tender to build a perimeter wall around State House, though the Ministry of Finance rejected a US$15 million invoice from the company. Tungwarara has also won a government tender to drill thousands of boreholes across Zimbabwe under the "presidential borehole scheme."
Reports have also surfaced of Tungwarara distributing cash to war veterans and promising to build housing for them, as well as drilling boreholes for each veteran, amid growing discontent within the war veteran community over Mnangagwa's leadership.
Despite the mounting allegations, Tungwarara has declined to respond to inquiries from the media.
Police have been aware of Tungwarara's criminal activities but appear to have been unable to make significant progress in their investigations. Critics suggest that Tungwarara's political connections with Mnangagwa may be allowing him to suppress accountability for his actions.
As investigations continue, the full extent of Tungwarara's fraudulent activities and his use of political influence remains unclear.
Source - zimlive
