HARARE – Two men posed as Central Intelligence Organisation agents and swindled various companies while claiming to be acting on behalf of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a court heard on Wednesday.

Samson Gurumombe, 52, and Brighton Magombo, 26, appeared before Harare magistrate Rumbidzayi Mugwagwa charged with two counts of fraud.

The two were denied bail after prosecutor Sebastin Mutizirwa argued that the suspects could re-offend, telling the court that they were caught on their way to scam a leading petroleum company.

Mutizirwa also said the two had established a wide network of victims misrepresenting that they were from the President’s Office.

It is alleged that on August 15, Gurumombe phoned ZB Bank group chief executive officer Ronald Mutandagayi and misrepresented that his name was Mhonda from President’s Office.

He reportedly requested a donation of fuel coupons and mineral water for use while on official duty in Chirundu.

Gurumombe further told Mutandagayi that he would send his subordinate Magombo to collect the donation from ZB headquarters in Avondale.

Around mid-day, Magombo went to the offices and saw Florence Chikoto, Mutandagayi’s assistant, who gave him 40 litres of petrol coupons and 1,5 litres of mineral water.

The court heard that on August 20, Gurumombe called NetOne acting chief executive officer Nkosinathi Ncube and told him he was busy working on the telecommunications company’s files.

Gurumombe called Ncube again on August 21 and 22 indicating that he was compiling a list of executives who had been picked to attend Mnangagwa’s inauguration on August 26.

Using the same tricks, Gurumombe requested a donation of fuel coupons and mineral water before advising Ncube that Magombo would collect the items on his behalf.

He was given 40 litres of petrol and two litres of mineral water.

On August 26, Gurumombe phoned Ncube again asking for another donation and this prompted the latter to take a closer look.

Ncube made enquiries and discovered that Gurumombe and Magombo were not employed at the President’s office.

The following day Magombo went to the NetOne offices intending to collect another donation but detectives ambushed him and arrested him at the scene.

Magombo was interviewed and confessed that he was acting on Gurumombe’s behalf and both men were arrested.

In 2014, Gurumombe was prosecuted for swindling job seekers out of $13,000. He claimed to be able to place them in well paying jobs at Mbada Diamonds – for a fee.

Victims of the scam would be charged $50 for letterheads, $10 for fingerprints, $25 for printing of Curriculum Vitaes, $150 for securing the job and $20 for the sending of the Curriculum Vitae.