News / National
Ruling deferred for Dr Gono's suspected fraudsters
19 Sep 2024 at 10:47hrs | Views
Harare regional magistrate Mr. Stanford Mambanje has postponed his ruling in the fraud case involving Clark Clever Makoni and Beverly Aisha Ndonda Makoni, who are accused of illicitly transferring property belonging to former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Dr. Gideon Gono into their names.
The trial is set to resume tomorrow, when Mr. Mambanje will decide whether the State can introduce a deed of settlement allegedly signed by the parties involved.
The couple stands accused of prejudicing Dr. Gono's company, Galwex Investments, to the tune of ZWL137,736,500 through unauthorized withdrawals.
During the proceedings, prosecutor Ms. Heather Muwokoto called upon the first witness, Mr. George Mashonganyika, the special projects executive at Galwex Investments. He testified that the Makonis were initially appointed to manage Valley Lodge, a property owned by Galwex, but they corruptly altered its directorship and unlawfully withdrew funds from the company's bank account in 2017.
Mashonganyika revealed that a routine check in October 2023 uncovered that the accused had fraudulently changed the directorship of Valley Lodge without the knowledge or approval of Galwex, subsequently appointing themselves as signatories. He also noted that while the Makonis were only supposed to receive commissions for their management role, they began receiving salaries directly from Valley Lodge's funds.
At one point, the Makonis attempted to negotiate with Galwex to return the lodge's directorship to its rightful owners and proposed a compensation package of US$50,000 through a deed of settlement.
However, Ms. Muwokoto's application to submit a certified copy of this deed was met with resistance from the defense lawyer, Mr. Admire Rubaya, who argued that the document could be prejudicial to his clients.
The court awaits Mr. Mambanje's ruling, which will determine the next steps in this high-profile case involving significant allegations of fraud and mismanagement.
The trial is set to resume tomorrow, when Mr. Mambanje will decide whether the State can introduce a deed of settlement allegedly signed by the parties involved.
The couple stands accused of prejudicing Dr. Gono's company, Galwex Investments, to the tune of ZWL137,736,500 through unauthorized withdrawals.
During the proceedings, prosecutor Ms. Heather Muwokoto called upon the first witness, Mr. George Mashonganyika, the special projects executive at Galwex Investments. He testified that the Makonis were initially appointed to manage Valley Lodge, a property owned by Galwex, but they corruptly altered its directorship and unlawfully withdrew funds from the company's bank account in 2017.
Mashonganyika revealed that a routine check in October 2023 uncovered that the accused had fraudulently changed the directorship of Valley Lodge without the knowledge or approval of Galwex, subsequently appointing themselves as signatories. He also noted that while the Makonis were only supposed to receive commissions for their management role, they began receiving salaries directly from Valley Lodge's funds.
However, Ms. Muwokoto's application to submit a certified copy of this deed was met with resistance from the defense lawyer, Mr. Admire Rubaya, who argued that the document could be prejudicial to his clients.
The court awaits Mr. Mambanje's ruling, which will determine the next steps in this high-profile case involving significant allegations of fraud and mismanagement.
Source - The Herald
