HURUNGWE Rural District Council (HRDC) chief executive, Luke Kalavina and two engineers have been granted US$100 bail each, among other conditions, following their arrest facing five counts involving fraud, money laundering and corruptly concealing personal interest in transactions charges.
Chinhoyi Magistrate, Shepherd Mjanja this Friday handed down ruling in the bail matter after both State and defence counsels made submissions Wednesday. In addition to bail deposit money, Kalavina, HRDC engineer, Romeo Tapiwa Mupamawonde and assistant engineer, Alfred Makama, were ordered to report once every Friday at Karoi Police Station, to reside at given addresses and not to interfere with witnesses.
Also, accused 1 and 3 were ordered to surrender their travel documents to the Clerk of Court Chinhoyi. Accused persons will be back for routine remand on August 18, 2023.
In granting bail, Mjanja outlined bail was a constitutional entitlement that could only be denied if there were compelling reasons to do so, and that the trio had cooperative by voluntarily surrendering themselves at Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) offices upon summoning and were not likely to flee the jurisdiction of the court.
The trio was arrested by ZACC earlier this week over a suspected procurement scandal involving devolution funds, which Kalavina allegedly diverted to build his family empire consisting of upmarket tourist lodges. Circumstances are that during the period 2011 and 2012, the then Hurungwe West legislator embarked on the construction of a clinic in Ward 15 for the community’s benefit, which was named Chiedza.
As part of the project two blocks were completed and a nurse’s house was partly built. Court heard that during the period 2021 to date, HRDC took over the project to renovate the two clinic blocks, whose scope of work included roofing, electricity installation and plastering walls. Council also embarked on finishing the incomplete nurse’s apartment as well as building another one using devolution funds from government.
State alleges three accused persons connived to purchase building materials purportedly for the clinic, inflating or overstating quantities and diverting excess to personal projects. The trio also allegedly misrepresented they bought ablution or plumbing materials for the clinic, but investigations unearthed nothing was delivered nor used at the site, where there are only Blair toilets.
Upon visiting site, ZACC established there were no ablution facilities constructed at Chiedza Clinic despite payment for purchases, thereby prejudicing HRDC of US$6 075 as a result of the misrepresentation. Court further heard ZACC investigations established Kalavina, using ill-gotten materials, is building three lodges and a bar at Makuti, which are almost complete with plastering and power installations to the site.
It was averred in court the same contractors for the clinic were being hired to do private jobs for the council boss. The probe by ZACC also sniffed other suspicious projects by Kalavina that included Outdoor Resort Centre at Kemureza Dam site in Magunje, whose construction is at an advanced stage.
It was established same materials being procured by council for the clinic are similar to materials required for the chief executive’s projects. According to the State outline, ZACC is convinced Kalavina is pursuing personal aggrandisement using proceeds of crime in the form of diverting building materials.
Among the litany of charges, Kalavina allegedly authorised payments to service providers for work not done while the two engineers allegedly connived knowing all too well their boss had a personal interest in supplier company, Cadia Trade Centre trading as Belz Trade Centre.
In one of the five counts, on December 23, 2022, the chief executive being a signatory to HRDC devolution account approved the transfer of ZW$1 897 500 for plumbing materials delivered on January 3, 2023.
Source NewZimbabwe
