Chimombe ill, trial deferred again

Source: The Herald – Breaking news.

 Mike Chimombe

Fidelis Munyoro, Chief Court Reporter

The corruption trial of businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu involving millions siphoned from the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme was derailed yet again.

Scheduled to start yesterday, the trial could not take off because one of the accused, Mike Chimombe fell ill and been prescribed seven days of bed rest.

Justice Pisirayi Kwenda adjourned proceedings to March 3, 2025.

Both the defence and prosecution consented to the postponement.

Last week, the trial was deferred to yesterday after the defence successfully objected to the inclusion of two assessors, who were supposed to hear the matter with Justice Kwenda.

From the outset, the case has been delayed by a number of court applications lodged by the two businessmen.

Since their formal arraignment on fraud charges in October, Chimombe and Mpofu have sought every legal means to avoid prosecution.

Their attempt to take the matter to the Constitutional Court, alleging violations of their rights, was  rebuffed in December last year, clearing the way for the trial to proceed.

The two also made fresh bail applications citing “changed circumstances,” a claim the court dismissed as lacking merit.

Prosecutors allege that the pair masterminded an elaborate scheme to embezzle millions from the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme — a Government initiative designed to empower rural communities through livestock distribution.

Chimombe and Mpofu are alleged to have falsified compliance certificates from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), fraudulently issued under the name of Blackdeck Private Limited.

Investigations revealed that Blackdeck had been deregistered from the NSSA system as far back as January 2016.