Duo swindles Chitungwiza Municipality

A DARING fraudster, who together with an accomplice successfully sued Chitungwiza Municipality for $120 000 over an unsuccessful tender under false pretences, appeared in court yesterday on fraud charges.

Darlington Chirara (43) and Ernest Zhou, who is already on remand on the same charge, took advantage of an unsuccessful tender for the supply of a jet machine to the council that was won by Scotia Steel, to sue the local authority at the High Court while pretending to be the steel company’s representatives.

They won the case and Chitungwiza Municipality was ordered to pay $119 000 to Scotia Steel (Pvt) Ltd.

The offence came to light when legitimate Scotia officials came across an article in a local newspaper.

Chirara appeared before magistrate Mrs Rumbidzai Mugwagwa and was remanded to October 16 on $100 bail.

Prosecuting, Mr Sebastian Mutizira alleged that in May 2011, Chitungwiza Municipality floated a tender for the supply of a cleaning machine and the tender worth $119 113,50 was awarded to Scotia Steel (Pvt) Ltd.

On August 25, the council made an application for electronic funds transfer for $59 560 from its bank account into Scotia Steel’s bank account but the transfer was not effected.

Both parties regarded it as a failed deal and no further action was taken against Chitungwiza Municipality.

Sometime between 2014 and 2017, Chirara became aware of the tender and how Chitungwiza Municipality had failed to meet the conditions of the contract.

Working in connivance with Zhou, they allegedly hatched a plan to defraud the local authority.