Chimombe, Mpofu appeal bid rejected by High Court

The High Court has rejected applications by businessmen Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe to appeal their convictions and sentences at the Supreme Court, upholding the correctness of its original ruling.

In a judgment delivered this evening, Justice Pisirayi Kwenda stated that the trial court had properly followed sentencing guidelines and noted that any alleged error would have been to the benefit of the accused.

Justice Kwenda further observed that the State had accepted the sentences imposed. "The applications for leave to appeal are dismissed in both applications," he ruled.

Mpofu and Chimombe were convicted of defrauding the Government of over US$7 million under the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme. They are currently serving 17-year and 12-year prison sentences, respectively.