By Ziyah News Reporter
The lengthy corruption trial of businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, involving millions siphoned from the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme, has been postponed yet again, this time at the behest of the accused.
The trial was scheduled to commence yesterday but could not proceed because Chimombe fell ill and has been prescribed seven days of bed rest.
Justice Pisirayi Kwenda adjourned the proceedings until March 3, 2025, after both the defense and prosecution agreed to the postponement.
This latest delay follows last week’s adjournment, when the trial was initially set to begin.
It was postponed after the defense successfully objected to the inclusion of two assessors who were to assist Justice Kwenda in hearing the case.
The case has been characterized by numerous court applications lodged by Chimombe and Mpofu since their formal arraignment on fraud charges in October. Both businessmen have consistently sought legal avenues to avoid prosecution. Their attempt to escalate the matter to the Constitutional Court, citing violations of their rights, was dismissed in December, allowing the trial to move forward.
Additionally, the pair filed fresh bail applications, claiming “changed circumstances,” but the court deemed these claims to lack merit.
Prosecutors allege that Chimombe and Mpofu orchestrated a scheme to embezzle vast sums from the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme, a government initiative aimed at empowering rural communities through livestock distribution.
The two are accused of falsifying compliance certificates from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), which were fraudulently issued under the name of Blackdeck Private Limited.
Investigations have revealed that Blackdeck had been deregistered from the NSSA system as early as January 2016.