Agriculture deputy minister, Douglas Karoro, will spend his weekend in jail after his bail hearing was pushed to Monday.
Douglas Karoro was arrested on Friday on allegations of grabbing 700 bags of fertiliser, US$18 000 worth of maize seed and 5 000 vegetable seed kits from Presidential inputs schemes between March and last month, and selling them.
He appeared briefly before a Harare magistrate who rolled his matter to Monday for bail hearing.
His arrest came at a time there were reports that Karoro was trying to skip the country after his alleged illicit affairs were unearthed.
Karoro's lawyer, Augustine Borera, said he has nothing to say about the allegations.
"I cannot comment on that," he said after the case was adjourned.
"My client has been remanded to Monday so that we can make a bail application. He is being charged with three counts of fraud, so we will be back at court on Monday, " he said.
According to the state, the minister committed the offence in connivance with Mushumbi Depot acting manager, Lovejoy Ngowe, who appeared in court on Friday.
Ngowe was also remanded in custody.
Prosecutors allege the abused inputs came from Mushumbi Pools Depot in Mbire, Mashonaland Central Province, and were intended for farmers.
It is alleged that last month, Karoro approached Jeremy Phiri, on the run as a main middleman, and told him that he was looking for buyers for 700 bags of Compound D fertiliser at US$16 per 50kg bag.
Phiri is said to have contacted Widdorn Chiodza, who was interested in buying the fertiliser.
On April 21, Phiri, according to the State, met Chiodza, who handed over US$10 700, almost the full price.
It is alleged Phiri then allegedly took this money to Karoro, who told him that the fertiliser was at GMB Mushumbi Depot.
Karoro allegedly contacted Ngowe, stating that he would send trucks to collect his fertiliser.
Chiodza allegedly went with his three trucks and collected the fertiliser and offloaded it at his homestead.
It is alleged that Zimunya called Chiodza to return the fertiliser, saying the deal had gone bad.
Chiodza allegedly refused and only agreed after he was visited by Mugove Chidamba, who then collected only 400 bags of fertiliser.
Karoro and Chidamba are alleged to have decided to swap the fertiliser with Ammonium Nitrate at Aspindale GMB.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Chidamba allegedly sourced another 300 bags of Compound D from Farm and City to make them 700x50kgs.
Aspindale GMB Chain Supply manager, Obert Zhoya, refused to do the swap, saying the documentation was wrong.
Zhoya is alleged to have agreed after being convinced by Karoro, but under a condition that they did a depot to depot transfer.
Kororo is alleged to have first supplied 400 bags in exchange for 400 bags of Ammonium Nitrate.
Another exchange of the remaining 300 bags was done and it is alleged Ngowe confirmed that Mushumbi GMB had not received the 400 bags, hence Zhoya asked Kroro to return the 400 bags of Ammonium.
Karoro is alleged to have returned half of the bags and replaced the other half with 69x50kg bags of cotton calcium ammonium nitrate and 132x50kg bags of calcium ammonium nitrate.
It is alleged that in March, Ngowe, together with Karoro, committed fraud by allegedly cheating people in Mbizo of the maize seeds provided for them under the Presidential Input programme.
The two did not deliver 5000 vegetable combo kits to their destination and kept for their personal use.
