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Council duped US$18,000 in fake bridge deal
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Three men have been handed 18-year prison sentences each for defrauding the Hurungwe Rural District Council (RDC) of nearly US$18,000 in a fraudulent bridge construction scheme.
The High Court sentenced Romeo Tapiwa Mupamaonde (31), Alfred Makama (43), and Batsirai Nyamayaro (39), with three years suspended on condition of good behaviour. Additionally, each was fined US$5,000, with an extra 12 months in jail looming should they fail to pay.
The case revolved around the Chehoko Causeway Bridge project in Hurungwe. Anstand Investments (Pvt) Ltd, a company directed by Nyamayaro, had won a tender to build the bridge at a cost of US$17,990, funded through the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara).
However, during the trial, it emerged that the company never constructed the bridge. Instead, a 79-year-old man from rural Gutu, Kainos Mupiwa, built the bridge manually with assistance from local villagers. Mupamaonde and Makama, then engineer and assistant engineer at Hurungwe RDC, paid Mupiwa a meagre sum for his work.
The court found that the three men conspired to falsely claim that Anstand Investments had completed the project, enabling them to pocket public funds.
In his ruling, Justice Benjamin Chikowero described the fraud as a well-planned scheme orchestrated by an organised group in positions of authority.
"The offenders constituted themselves as an organized criminal gang," Justice Chikowero said.
"They took advantage of the fifth offender's (company's) legal status to process payment while doing no work."
The judge condemned the exploitation of the elderly builder, noting that Mupiwa was paid a "pittance" for honest and professional work.
Justice Chikowero emphasized that public confidence in the justice system depends on serious fraud being met with serious punishment. He rejected non-custodial sentences as inappropriate in this case.
All three convicted men were first-time offenders and have since lost their jobs due to their crimes.
"Corruption, especially within public institutions, must be punished firmly to deter further abuse of public resources," the judge stated.
This judgment sends a strong message against fraudulent schemes that drain public funds and exploit vulnerable individuals.
The High Court sentenced Romeo Tapiwa Mupamaonde (31), Alfred Makama (43), and Batsirai Nyamayaro (39), with three years suspended on condition of good behaviour. Additionally, each was fined US$5,000, with an extra 12 months in jail looming should they fail to pay.
The case revolved around the Chehoko Causeway Bridge project in Hurungwe. Anstand Investments (Pvt) Ltd, a company directed by Nyamayaro, had won a tender to build the bridge at a cost of US$17,990, funded through the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara).
However, during the trial, it emerged that the company never constructed the bridge. Instead, a 79-year-old man from rural Gutu, Kainos Mupiwa, built the bridge manually with assistance from local villagers. Mupamaonde and Makama, then engineer and assistant engineer at Hurungwe RDC, paid Mupiwa a meagre sum for his work.
The court found that the three men conspired to falsely claim that Anstand Investments had completed the project, enabling them to pocket public funds.
In his ruling, Justice Benjamin Chikowero described the fraud as a well-planned scheme orchestrated by an organised group in positions of authority.
"They took advantage of the fifth offender's (company's) legal status to process payment while doing no work."
The judge condemned the exploitation of the elderly builder, noting that Mupiwa was paid a "pittance" for honest and professional work.
Justice Chikowero emphasized that public confidence in the justice system depends on serious fraud being met with serious punishment. He rejected non-custodial sentences as inappropriate in this case.
All three convicted men were first-time offenders and have since lost their jobs due to their crimes.
"Corruption, especially within public institutions, must be punished firmly to deter further abuse of public resources," the judge stated.
This judgment sends a strong message against fraudulent schemes that drain public funds and exploit vulnerable individuals.
Source - The Standard
