A Chinese businessman accused of attempting to illegally export 720 tonnes of lithium ore to China through Forbes Border Post has been granted US$1 000 bail by the Harare Magistrates Court.
Ning Yaokan, a co-director of Orequest (Pvt) Ltd, appeared before Harare Regional Magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa facing fraud allegations.
He was remanded to September 30, 2026, for finalisation of investigations, while the matter has been transferred to the Mutare Magistrates Court for trial.
The State, represented by Lawrence Gangarahwe, alleges that Ning established an illegal mineral processing and dispatch operation at Plot 5, Cheltenham Park Drive, Ruwa, intending to fraudulently export lithium ore to China.
The court heard that in December 2025, Ning entered into a six-month lease agreement with Robert and Tirivanhu Baiwa for a six-hectare property at a monthly rental of US$2 000.
A week later, he allegedly moved equipment including jaw crushers, a front-end loader and TLB machines to the property and erected prefabricated structures.
According to the State, Ning began stockpiling lithium ore at the premises in April 2026 before starting processing operations the following month.
He allegedly enlisted Shuvai Muza and Charlene Tanyaradzwa Chivandire, who are already on remand, to oversee ground operations, prepare fraudulent documents and arrange transportation of the ore.
On July 16, Orequest allegedly booked 40 shipping containers with Maersk in Harare, while transport brokers were engaged to move the ore to Mutare.
The State alleges that fraudulent export documents bearing the name of Bikita Minerals were prepared to facilitate the shipment and evade customs requirements.
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Brian Sakarombe was allegedly tasked with handling customs exit formalities at Forbes Border Post.
Six heavy-haulage trucks were subsequently dispatched to the Ruwa premises to collect the ore.
One of the trucks, belonging to Kutaki Investments (Pvt) Ltd, allegedly loaded lithium ore on July 16, crossed Forbes Border Post on July 19 and delivered the cargo to the Port of Beira in Mozambique on July 22.
Two other trucks were intercepted at Forbes Border Post on July 23 after allegedly presenting fraudulent documents bearing Bikita Minerals’ name.
Sakarombe was later arrested after allegedly attempting to facilitate a bribe to Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officials.
Meanwhile, two ENG Logistics trucks allegedly loaded ore into containers and proceeded to Ruwa before being ordered to wait following the interception at the border.
The trucks later allegedly offloaded their cargo at a truck stop in Lochinvar, while another returned its load to the Ruwa premises.
A subsequent inspection allegedly recovered 420 tonnes of lithium ore at the Ruwa site, 60 tonnes from aborted container loads and another 60 tonnes intercepted at Forbes Border Post.
The State alleges that 23 trucks had already exported 690 tonnes, while a further 30 tonnes were cleared on the Kutaki truck, bringing the total quantity allegedly involved in the scheme to 720 tonnes.
Ning allegedly fled to China on July 29 after realising that the operation had been compromised.
The financial prejudice allegedly suffered by the State is yet to be quantified by Ministry of Mines evaluators.
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