Ex-Zinara Boss Frank Chitukutuku Loses US$30 Million Assets After Failing To Explain Source Of Vast Wealth

Frank Chitukutuku Forfeits US$30 Million In Unexplained Wealth

Former Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) Chief Executive Officer Frank Chitukutuku has lost assets worth an estimated US$30 million (approximately R550 million) to the State after failing to justify the source of his wealth. The development, confirmed by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) in early November 2025, closes one of the country’s most high-profile and long-running corruption-linked forfeiture cases.

Supreme Court Upholds Major Asset Forfeiture

The case dates back to May 2019, when the High Court first issued an order freezing Chitukutuku’s properties, vehicles, and company shares pending investigation. After several appeals, the Supreme Court in late November 2024 upheld most of the original forfeiture orders, a decision ZACC described as a “significant victory” for anti-graft efforts.

ZACC chairperson Michael Reza previously told delegates at a regional anti-corruption review meeting in Harare that the matter had been long and complex but had now reached its conclusion.

“We had a matter that was long-running, involving Frank Chitukutuku, who was CEO of ZINARA,” said Reza during the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group review session in Harare on 3 December 2024.

“Through the assistance of the National Prosecuting Authority, we submitted our papers and won the forfeiture order. His houses, trucks, and company shares add up to about US$20 million (approx. R367 million).”

Although part of the judgment was referred back to the High Court for clarification regarding two properties in Borrowdale and Glen Lorne, the Supreme Court agreed that most of the assets — including vehicles, tractors, and shares in Champions Insurance (Pvt) Ltd — were lawfully forfeited.

A Fortune Built On Suspicion

Chitukutuku, who earned an estimated US$8,500 (approx. R156,000) a month during his time at ZINARA, failed to convince the courts that his sprawling wealth came from legitimate sources. Court documents reveal that his collection of assets included luxury vehicles, such as a Range Rover, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Nissan NP200, as well as several Mazda T35 trucks and tractors, and a farm in Goromonzi.

Investigations by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and ZACC linked the wealth to proceeds of corruption, including alleged kickbacks from road rehabilitation contracts. Despite his earlier acquittal on criminal charges of fraud and abuse of office, the civil courts ruled — on a balance of probabilities — that a large portion of his wealth was tainted.

“Civil forfeiture is not about conviction; it’s about the probability of corruption-linked benefit,” said a legal source familiar with the proceedings. “In this case, the court found that the assets were more likely than not to have been purchased using proceeds of crime.”

Zimbabwe’s Anti-Corruption Drive Intensifies

The forfeiture adds to ZACC’s growing list of high-value recoveries under the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act, which has been used to reclaim millions in unexplained wealth since 2020. The Commission has previously seized ten mansions and twenty-two vehicles worth about US$8 million (approx. R147 million) from various public figures.

Chitukutuku’s forfeited assets, accumulated between 2009 and 2019, represent one of Zimbabwe’s largest asset recoveries. The case, which involved years of litigation across multiple courts, stands as a precedent for future corruption-related forfeitures.