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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
ZANU-PF Youth League director Tapiwa Zengeya and Lasch Enterprises Pvt Ltd bosses appeared in court yesterday charged with fraud and money laundering after they allegedly swindled 120 farmers of over $27,497.07 through a dubious farming input scheme.Zengeya, 48, Evans Simbarashe Zininga, 34, Patience Chipere, 38, Christopher Tegwe, 46, Fungai Mudondo, 38, Shiella Taderera, 40, Stephene Mapfumo, 43, and Charles Mashumba, 46, are alleged to have used the money to buy personal vehicles.

They appeared before Milton Serima.

They were granted $500 bail each and ordered to surrender their passports and to report to CID serious frauds three times a week.

They are being represented by Admire Rubaya, Tafadzwa Hungwe, Auxillia Mangwaira, Everesto Matiza and Richard Masinire.

Prosecutor Sharon Mashavira alleges that sometime in July, Lasch officials and accomplices still at large, Nelson Mahupete and Christina Madakudya, formed a joint venture with the Zanu-PF Youth League purportedly for the supply  of agricultural inputs like fertiliser, seed and chemicals to A1 farmers on credit.

The complainants were made to fill in loan application forms bearing Lasch Enterprises Pvt Ltd and Zanu-PF Youth League logos.

The group recruited district co-coordinators  who mobilised complainants to pay $36 as joining fee, $29.60 per hectare as insurance fee  and $5 Arex fee which was payable direct to Arex offices.

The complainants were directed to deposit the joining and insurance fees into Lasch’s CBZ bank account.

It is alleged that the insurance fee varied in line with the number of hectares required  by the farmer and the loan was to be recovered from the complainant’s respective GMB account after harvest.

Between July 17 and December 11, the complainants made several deposits into the company’s bank account.

They presented the bank deposit slips to their designated co-odinators who issued them with Lasch and Zanu-PF Youth League receipts.

The court heard that about $1 million was deposited into Lasch’s bank account but only $587.44 reflected in the account as of December 16.

The state is alleging that the gang withdrew the funds and bought vehicles.

When the complainants approached Lasch in November to facilitate delivery of their inputs they failed.

The matter was reported to the police leading to the gang’s arrest.

According to the state, the 120 complainants  have been prejudiced of $27,497.07 for now and nothing was recovered.

It was not clear from the court papers how many farmers received inputs under the scheme.