THREE men have been jailed for defrauding Hurungwe Rural District Council (RDC) of nearly US$18 000 in a fake bridge construction deal.
The High Court sentenced Romeo Tapiwa Mupamaonde (31), Alfred Makama (43), and Batsirai Nyamayaro (39) to 18 years in prison each, with three years suspended on condition of good behaviour.
They were also ordered to each pay a US$5 000 fine or face an extra 12 months in jail if they fail to pay.
The case involved the construction of the Chehoko Causeway Bridge in Hurungwe.
A company called Anstand Investments (Pvt) Ltd, directed by Nyamayaro, had won a tender to build the bridge at a cost of US$17 990, paid for with public funds through the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara).
However, it later emerged during trial that the bridge was not built by the company at all.
Instead, a 79-year-old man from rural Gutu, Kainos Mupiwa, built the bridge by hand with help from local villagers.
He was paid a small amount by Mupamaonde and Makama, who at the time worked as engineer and assistant engineer at the Hurungwe RDC respectively.
The court found that the trio conspired to falsely claim that Anstand Investments had built the bridge, allowing them to pocket public funds.
In his ruling, Justice Benjamin Chikowero described the crime as well-planned fraud committed by an organised group in positions of authority.
Chikowero said their actions showed clear intent to deceive and caused financial loss to the council and the nation.
He also highlighted that the 79-year-old builder was taken advantage of and paid a “pittance” for work he did professionally and honestly.
“The offenders constituted themselves as an organized criminal gang,” the judge said.
“They took advantage of the fifth offender’s (company’s) legal status to process payment while doing no work.”
The judge said public confidence in the justice system would be harmed if serious fraud was not met with serious punishment.
All three convicted men were first-time offenders, and had lost their jobs as a result of the crime.
Chikowero said corruption – especially in public institutions – must be punished firmly to prevent further abuse of public resources.
The court said non-custodial sentences were not appropriate in this case.
