From prison to palaces: Life, time and 'crimes' of Mr Moneybags

Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Munodaani Chivayo and President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi. [File, Standard]

In life, he was flamboyant and portrayed a larger than life image. In death, an air of mystery surrounds the opulence he was always associated with.  Wicknell Munodaani Chivayo, the Zimbabwean millionaire tenderpreneur who died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday, aged 43, built a public persona on luxury cars, presidential handshakes and billion-dollar state contracts.

The source of his riches has always been a debate in Zimbabwe and abroad. Behind the glitzy social media posts and the headline grabbing donations of vehicles lies a far darker narrative, a chronicle of fraud, money laundering and a seemingly charmed existence in the face of serious criminal allegations spanning more than two decades. The secrets of probably the most controversial wheeler-deeler in the continent run deep.