KEY POINTS
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Wicknell Chivayo money laundering scandal is drawing international attention.
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Allegations link Chivayo to 66 percent of contract funds.
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Activists want Zimbabwe’s parliament to probe the 2023 election deal.
A petition has been submitted to the Zimbabwean National Assembly asking it to look into claims of money laundering made against businessman Wicknell Chivayo.
Activist demands probe into Wicknell Chivayo money laundering case
In a letter to Speaker of the Parliament Jacob Mudenda, Kwekwe activist Emmanuel Nkosilathi Moyo called for an investigation into Chivayo’s alleged wrongdoing.
In his appeal, Moyo requests that parliamentarians look into the ~$100 million tender that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission granted prior to the national elections in 2023.
According to Zimbabwean media, Chivayo served as an intermediary in giving the contract to Ren-Form CC, a company based in South Africa.
According to records that were purportedly leaked from the Financial Intelligence Center in South Africa, Chivayo was paid R800 million out of the R1.2 billion deal.
Chivayo’s transactions may involve money laundering and other potential criminal activity, according to documents that went viral online.
The Financial Intelligence Centre refused to confirm the veracity of the leaked documents that media outlets reported when they were approached in April.
Last month, the agency informed IOL, “The FIC cannot verify whether the documents in your inquiry come from our office.”
A well-known Zimbabwean banker was also implicated in the contentious ZEC tender agreement with the South African company, according to IOL.
The competition, which was purportedly worth close to R2 billion, was for the provision of electoral supplies for Zimbabwe’s national elections in 2023.
The CEO of Access Finance Group, Raymond Singathini Chigogwana, is accused of assisting Chivayo in transferring R800 million via a number of banking channels.
While Access Finance Group is headquartered in Harare, its affiliate, Access Forex, is a Johannesburg-based money transfer business.
In what they believe to be a crooked financial arrangement, authorities claim Chigogwana enabled the speedy flow of funds between institutions.
South African authorities watching Wicknell Chivayo money laundering scandal
According to Iol, unusual fund transfers involving Chivayo and the tender revenues were observed by the local police and the South African Revenue Service.
According to Zimbabwean investigative group News Hawks, Chivayo received money in South Africa, which prompted inquiries into possible money laundering.
According to reports, Chivayo disbursed the money through quick transfers and cash withdrawals from a number of personal and business bank accounts.
Investigators think the funds went through Absa Group, Standard Bank, and First National Bank, three of South Africa’s largest institutions.
Chivayo allegedly used some of the money for expensive international travel, luxury cars, electronics, designer clothing, and real estate.
