Businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu will spend the weekend in custody as the presiding magistrate, Mrs. Marehwanazvo Gofa, is indisposed. Their bail hearing, overseen by Harare regional magistrate Mr. Stanford Mambanje, has been postponed until Monday morning.

Chimombe and Mpofu are facing fraud charges amounting to US$7 million, which allegedly involves funds intended for the Presidential Goat Scheme. The bail proceedings will resume with the defense lawyers’ cross-examination of the principal investigator from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).

During the last court session, ZACC investigator Mr. Henry Chapwanya testified that the prosecution intends to call 13 witnesses, six of whom have already provided statements. He expressed concerns that the defendants could potentially tamper with witnesses, citing their prior interactions during negotiations for the goat procurement contract.

The State’s case asserts that Mpofu and Chimombe falsified documents to secure their company’s eligibility for the tender, which they subsequently won. Prosecutor Mr. Anesu Chirenje presented multiple pieces of evidence, including a memo circulated on social media, a counterfeit NSSA clearance certificate, a fabricated compliance certificate, meeting minutes from the Ministry of Lands, and an affidavit from Mr. Chapwanya.

In other news – Zimbabwe mourns the passing of legal luminary Sternford Moyo

Sternford Moyo, a distinguished figure in Zimbabwean legal circles, passed away this morning following a brief illness. Moyo, renowned as a senior partner and chairman at Harare-based law firm Scanlen and Holderness, was esteemed domestically and internationally for his legal prowess and leadership.

After joining Scanlen in 1981 upon graduating with honors from the University of Zimbabwe, Moyo held prominent positions in numerous corporate boards, significantly impacting mining, commercial, and corporate law. Read More