In a development that perfectly embodies the saying “when days are dark friends are few”, US-based Prophet Passion Java has filed fraud charges against his purported friend Mike Chimombe.
This development is particularly surprising, as Java previously showed support for Chimombe, who is already embroiled in multiple corruption and fraud cases.
Adding to Chimombe’s troubles, Java has now reported him and his business partner, Moses Mpofu, to the police for fraud over a corrupt Harare tender deal for street lights.
Chimombe and Mpofu recently appeared in court for allegedly using false documents to secure a $9 million tender from the Harare City Council to rehabilitate street lights. The city’s town clerk, Hosea Chisango, is also in remand prison for his involvement in the case.
Java’s accusations against Chimombe and Mpofu centre on claims that the two businessmen defrauded him of $300,000 in connection with the same tender. Upon returning from South Africa on Saturday, Java filed a report at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport police post. According to a report by the Standard, Java alleges that in June 2024, Mpofu and Chimombe persuaded him to invest $300,000 in the streetlight tender through their company, Juluka Projects and Plant Hire.
Fraudulent Tender Bid
In a bid to secure the Harare street lights tender, Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu allegedly misrepresented that their company complied with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has since uncovered that the company submitted an audit report from a non-existing company.
