A Cotton Company of Zimbabwe Limited (COTTCO) manager appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court on Friday, 03 May, facing corruption and money laundering charges.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Munyaradzi Chikasha (46), who is COTTCO’s Acting Managing Director, was arraigned before a magistrate for corruptly concealing a personal interest in a financial transaction related to his employer’s operations and money laundering.
Chikasha was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (ZACC). Prosecutors said:
The allegations are that sometime in 2021, the accused person, who was employed as the Business Manager at COTTCO Chiredzi depot, devised a plan to have his trucks contracted to ferry COTTCO goods and benefit financially without disclosing his interests in the transactions to COTTCO.
He bought two trucks and registered them in the name of his nephew and allegedly instructed his nephew to open a bank account where the payments for the transportation services would be made. A contract for the transportation services was then concluded between the nephew and COTTCO Chiredzi Depot.
Thereafter the accused person’s trucks were used to transport COTTCO goods on various occasions and the trucks were always assigned routes on well-maintained roads.
The accused person made sure that all outstanding payments for the services rendered by his trucks were made promptly even when other transporters who had serviced COTTCO ahead of him remained unpaid for their services thereby showing favour to himself.
The money laundering charges arise from the allegations that he used ill-gotten gains i.e. the money he benefited from the transportation services to acquire two more trucks and finance the building of his house.
Chikasha was granted US$100 bail and ordered not to interfere with witnesses, surrender his passport, and report once a week to the Police. He will next appear in court on 12 June 2024.
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