Tobacco company security chief arrested in price fixing scam bust

Munyaradzi Mashiri- Court Correspondent

A Premium Leaf Zimbabwe employee has been arrested for allegedly soliciting bribes from farmers in exchange for inflating tobacco grades.

Clifford Charoven'anga, 40, who works as a grower’s representative for the company, appeared before magistrate Ruth Moyo at the Harare Magistrates' Courts charged with bribery.

The complainant in the matter is Premium Leaf Zimbabwe, represented by its head of security, Nikodimo Rukwanda.

According to prosecutor Takudzwa Jambawu, the company received a tip-off on May 7 that Charoven'anga was allegedly demanding and receiving bribes from farmers in return for assigning higher grades to their tobacco.

Acting on the information, Premium Leaf management set up a sting operation. On May 13, a trap was laid using marked money—US$30 consisting of a US$20 note bearing serial number PL46403810I L12 and a US$10 note with serial number PJ58099288A J10.

Charoven'anga was arrested at the company premises by detectives from the CID Commercial Crimes Division (Northern Region), and the trap money was recovered from him.