HARARE – Pious Manamike, the managing director of the state-owned Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) and the company’s business development manager Maxmore Njanji appeared in court on Friday facing corruption charges.
Manamike and Njani were arrested on Thursday accused of paying themselves up to US$500,000 after contracting their trucks to deliver fertilizers and chemicals to farmers under the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme.
The two men will spend the weekend behind bars after a court postponed their bail hearing to Monday.
The National Prosecuting Authority says the government assigned Cottco to deliver subsidies to farmers countrywide in 2018 for which the company would be paid US$94 million. Ferts, Seen & Grain (FSG) was appointed as the supplier for the government handouts.
Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti alleged that between 2019 and June this year, Manamike and Njanji corruptly engaged trucking companies where they had interests, earning thousands of dollars.
Njanji’s Chita One Logistics allegedly made 3,500 deliveries earning him US$290,000 while Manamike’s Eternal Resources was paid US$200,000 for 3,150 deliveries.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission led the investigation into Manamike and Njanji.
Both men deny charges of money laundering and concealing a transaction from a principal.
