Chimombe, Mpofu goats trial wraps up

After a year of court proceedings, businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu now await judgment in the US$7.7 million Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme fraud case. The trial concluded yesterday following extensive hearings in which both accused consistently maintained their innocence.

The two men, who have been repeatedly denied bail since their arrest in July 2024 by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), are charged with defrauding the government in a tender to supply goats. Their company, Blackdeck Private Limited, reportedly secured an US$87 million contract to supply 632,001 goats but delivered only a fraction of the livestock, according to prosecution claims.

Throughout the trial, Chimombe and Mpofu denied wrongdoing. Chimombe, under cross-examination, strongly refuted the state's allegations, insisting he acted lawfully throughout the procurement process.

Meanwhile, their former business partner, Wicknell Chivayo, who previously clashed with them over a US$100 million Zimbabwe Electoral Commission corruption scandal, publicly declared that Chimombe and Mpofu "will never be out." His statement was widely viewed as interference and contempt of court, though no legal action has been taken against him.

The case has drawn significant attention, given its high-profile nature and links to government procurement schemes, and the verdict is now keenly awaited.