News / National
Chimombe, Mpofu locked up over botched Presidential Goat Scheme
27 Jun 2024 at 08:14hrs | Views
Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, controversial businessmen, have been remanded to prison pending their bail determination after appearing before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa. The court upheld the State's request to adjourn the matter until Thursday to allow for evidence from investigating officers.
Chimombe (43) and Mpofu (49) are accused of fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to supply goats worth USD 88 million under the Presidential Goat Pass-on Scheme. Their lawyers argued against bail, noting their clients' compliance in attending court from home. However, the State, represented by Anesu Chirenje, opposed bail, citing their recent dealings with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).
The charges include forging a ZIMRA Tax Clearance certificate and a NSSA compliance certificate for Mpofu's company, Blackdeck Private Limited, and submitting them in a bid document to the Ministry of Lands. The State alleges that these documents misrepresented compliance statuses and were used to secure a government contract.
The Ministry of Lands purportedly paid ZWL 1.6 billion (approximately USD 7,712,197) to Blackdeck Private Limited for the supply of goats. Subsequent investigations revealed discrepancies, including that the company was deregistered from NSSA and did not possess a valid ZIMRA certificate. Despite claims of mobilizing 32,500 goats, only 3,713 were found. The contract was canceled in August 2022 after further irregularities were discovered.
The accused are also accused of converting USD 7,380,751 for personal use, with no funds recovered to date.
Chimombe (43) and Mpofu (49) are accused of fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to supply goats worth USD 88 million under the Presidential Goat Pass-on Scheme. Their lawyers argued against bail, noting their clients' compliance in attending court from home. However, the State, represented by Anesu Chirenje, opposed bail, citing their recent dealings with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).
The charges include forging a ZIMRA Tax Clearance certificate and a NSSA compliance certificate for Mpofu's company, Blackdeck Private Limited, and submitting them in a bid document to the Ministry of Lands. The State alleges that these documents misrepresented compliance statuses and were used to secure a government contract.
The Ministry of Lands purportedly paid ZWL 1.6 billion (approximately USD 7,712,197) to Blackdeck Private Limited for the supply of goats. Subsequent investigations revealed discrepancies, including that the company was deregistered from NSSA and did not possess a valid ZIMRA certificate. Despite claims of mobilizing 32,500 goats, only 3,713 were found. The contract was canceled in August 2022 after further irregularities were discovered.
The accused are also accused of converting USD 7,380,751 for personal use, with no funds recovered to date.
Source - newzimbabwe
