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Chimombe, Mpofu take fight to Supreme Court
1 hr ago |
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Lawyers representing businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu have announced plans to take their clients' case to the Supreme Court, challenging both the conviction and the sentences handed down by the High Court.
On Monday, the High Court sentenced Mpofu to 22 years and Chimombe to 17 years in prison for defrauding the government of US$7.7 million under the Presidential Goat Pass-on Scheme, intended to supply goats to vulnerable rural households. After suspensions and restitution conditions, Mpofu will serve an effective 15 years, while Chimombe will serve 12 years.
Speaking to journalists after the sentencing, Mpofu's lawyer, Tapson Dzvetero, said they were dissatisfied with both the conviction and the punishment and believed the High Court misdirected itself in its findings. He indicated that the matter would be escalated to the Supreme Court in hopes of overturning the decision.
"We are going to the Supreme Court. Our clients believe that the court grossly misdirected itself in its findings, from both the conviction and the sentences, so we have to hear what the Supreme Court says," Dzvetero said.
The defence contends that the conviction is legally flawed, arguing that the High Court based its decision on the alleged involvement of a fictitious person. Dzvetero said, "We are challenging the conviction that the court has found that there was a fraud perpetrated by a fictitious person. Our clients feel that the judgment itself is contradictory. They do not understand the basis upon which the conviction is built, particularly because this relates to an existing company."
He added that the businessmen were "aggrieved" by what they view as inconsistent reasoning in the ruling, insisting that the company alleged to have been used in the fraud was real and could not justify the court's conclusion.
The State maintains that Chimombe and Mpofu knowingly submitted falsified documents to secure the goat-supply tender and failed to account for millions in public funds, forming the basis for their conviction.
On Monday, the High Court sentenced Mpofu to 22 years and Chimombe to 17 years in prison for defrauding the government of US$7.7 million under the Presidential Goat Pass-on Scheme, intended to supply goats to vulnerable rural households. After suspensions and restitution conditions, Mpofu will serve an effective 15 years, while Chimombe will serve 12 years.
Speaking to journalists after the sentencing, Mpofu's lawyer, Tapson Dzvetero, said they were dissatisfied with both the conviction and the punishment and believed the High Court misdirected itself in its findings. He indicated that the matter would be escalated to the Supreme Court in hopes of overturning the decision.
"We are going to the Supreme Court. Our clients believe that the court grossly misdirected itself in its findings, from both the conviction and the sentences, so we have to hear what the Supreme Court says," Dzvetero said.
The defence contends that the conviction is legally flawed, arguing that the High Court based its decision on the alleged involvement of a fictitious person. Dzvetero said, "We are challenging the conviction that the court has found that there was a fraud perpetrated by a fictitious person. Our clients feel that the judgment itself is contradictory. They do not understand the basis upon which the conviction is built, particularly because this relates to an existing company."
He added that the businessmen were "aggrieved" by what they view as inconsistent reasoning in the ruling, insisting that the company alleged to have been used in the fraud was real and could not justify the court's conclusion.
The State maintains that Chimombe and Mpofu knowingly submitted falsified documents to secure the goat-supply tender and failed to account for millions in public funds, forming the basis for their conviction.
Source - newzimbabwe
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