Judgment reserved in Chimombe, Mpofu application

A High Court judge has reserved judgment in an application by businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu seeking leave to appeal their convictions and sentences in the infamous "goat scandal."

The two were last month convicted and sentenced to 12 and 17 years in prison, respectively, after being found guilty of defrauding the government of US$7.7 million through a presidential goat tender scheme.

Their legal team applied for leave to appeal both the convictions and the sentences, arguing that the High Court erred in finding their clients guilty, asserting that the essential elements of fraud had not been established during the trial.

Justice Pisirayi Kwenda said he would require time to review the application and the State's response. "I have seen the application filed and the State's response to it. I need time to consider the papers, and judgment will be delivered in due course without undue delay," he stated.

After the hearing, the lawyers representing Chimombe and Mpofu told the media that they would await the court's decision. "We are not worried because that is a normal procedure. Since we agreed that the court would deal with the matter on the papers, this is perfectly normal," one lawyer said.

The legal team added that the judge's order would likely either grant or deny leave to appeal. If leave is not granted, Chimombe and Mpofu have indicated that they will petition the Supreme Court directly to challenge the High Court's decision.