Preperco Investments Director Sentenced to Communi...

Preperco Investments Director Sentenced to Community Service for Attempted US$1M ZRP Tender Fraud

Munyaradzi Mashiri

Zim Now Court Correspondent

Langton Madara, the director of Preperco Investments, has been sentenced to perform 360 hours of community service following an attempt to defraud the Zimbabwe Republic Police of nearly US$1 million in a tender scandal.

Appearing before Magistrate Clever Tsikwa at the Harare Magistrates' Courts, Madara was initially handed a 36-month prison term. However, 18 months were suspended on condition of good behavior, while the remaining 18 months were replaced with 630 hours of community service at Glen View Polyclinic.

The court heard that Madara attempted to secure an advance payment from the ZRP using a fraudulent bank guarantee. In 2022, the ZRP advertised a tender for suppliers of bulk printing paper. Preperco Investments responded, and the ZRP awarded the tender to Madara’s company.

In January last year, a contract was signed between the ZRP, represented by Commissioner General of Police, Godwin Tandabantu Matanga, and Madara. The contract stipulated that the ZRP would provide an advance payment of 15 percent of the total contract amount, valued at US$1,684,448. This meant that an advance of US$252,667 would be released upon presentation of a valid bank guarantee.

Madara subsequently submitted a bank guarantee dated October 2, 2023, purportedly issued by FBC Bank’s Samora Machel Branch. The document appeared legitimate, complete with FBC Bank’s letterhead and stamp. However, before the advance payment could be processed, the ZRP verified the guarantee with FBC Bank, which disowned the document as a forgery. FBC Bank confirmed that the letterhead and date stamp on the guarantee were fake.

Prosecutor Tendai Tapi successfully argued that Madara’s submission of the forged bank guarantee was intended to deceive the ZRP into releasing the advance payment of 15 percent. Had the deception gone undetected, Madara would have received US$252,667 upfront, with the remaining 85 percent to be paid after the supply of the materials.

The magistrate considered Madara’s status as a first-time offender and the fact that no funds were lost due to the timely discovery of the fraud, leading to the sentence modification.