Supreme Court to rule on Chimombe, Mpofu appeal

Jailed businessmen Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe, once hailed as rising entrepreneurs, are awaiting a Supreme Court decision on whether they will be granted leave to appeal their convictions and sentences in a US$7 million fraud case linked to the Presidential Goats Pass-On Scheme.

The two, who are serving a combined 33-year sentence, appeared before Justice George Chiweshe on Tuesday, where their application for permission to appeal was heard. The judge reserved judgment, saying he needed time to consider the submissions.

Mpofu was sentenced to 19 years in prison, with 10 years suspended on condition of repayment of US$2 million, while Chimombe received a 14-year term, partly suspended upon repayment of over US$964,000.

Their convictions stem from allegations that they defrauded funds meant for the rural livestock empowerment programme through fake contracts, phantom beneficiaries and financial mismanagement. The High Court previously dismissed their appeal bid, describing their arguments as "frivolous and vexatious."

The Supreme Court will now determine whether the pair can proceed with a full appeal against both conviction and sentence, in a case that has become one of Zimbabwe's most closely watched corruption trials.