Inputs scam: GMB manager granted bail Douglas Karoro

Nyore Madzianike Senior Court Reporter

The acting manager of GMB Mushumbi Depot Lovejoy Ngowe was on Tuesday granted $50 000 bail, the same granted to Deputy Minister Douglas Karoro and two other accused on Monday, with all four accused of being involved in the hijacking of inputs from the Presidential Inputs Scheme.

Ngowe, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Karoro, Jeremy Phiri and Dean Dzumunya are alleged to be involved in the diversion of fertiliser, maize seed and vegetable combo kits worth US$73 300 with Karoro and Ngowe taking the maize seed and kits in April, and the fertiliser being shipped out last month. The four are each facing three counts of fraud.

Ngowe, who appeared before magistrate Mrs Yeukai Dzuda, was represented by lawyer Mr Batanai Pesanai.

Karoro has dismissed the allegations claiming in his bail application on Monday that the whole matter was simply an attempt by political opponents to get him out of the way so they could win the Zanu PF nomination for Mbire constituency.

The allegations that first came out at Ngowe’s original remand hearing were that in April on separate occasions Karoro and Ngowe connived to convert to their own use the maize seed and vegetable kits meant for the Presidential Inputs Scheme in Mbire.

Last month 700 bags of Compound D fertiliser were released from Mushumbi after Karoro allegedly found a buyer. Complications meant that Karoro allegedly wanted to cancel the scheme but this involved buying back some bags in Mbare, buying more bags from a commercial retailer to fill gaps, and eventually buying ammonium nitrate on the black market.

A complicated scheme to allegedly launder the return of the fertiliser involved delivering it to GMB Aspindale to swop for ammonium nitrate but the group faced additional problems when some of the ammonium nitrate vanished on the way to Mushumbi, and had to be replaced with the same fertiliser designed for cotton farming at Mbare markets.

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey