In a landmark decision for corruption trials in Zimbabwe, ZTN has received approval to live broadcast the trial of businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu. They face accusations of misappropriating a total of US$7.7 million from the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme.
The hearing is scheduled to start at 2 PM today at the High Court in
Harare and will be available for viewing on the ZTN Prime channel and YouTube.
Chimombe and Mpofu allegedly forged tax and compliance certificates to win a tender for supplying goats while falsely representing their company’s compliance status.
Speculation suggests their legal troubles may have begun after they reportedly leaked phone conversations with controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo, in which he claimed to wield considerable influence over President Emmerson Mnangagwa, ensuring him access to lucrative contracts.
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In these leaked recordings, Chivayo unintentionally exposed allegations of corruption related to a tender awarded by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in 2023.
The two businessmen were arrested a few weeks following the leak, while Chivayo was not detained, and there has been no official comment from the presidency regarding the alleged corruption.
Currently, Chimombe and Mpofu, who were charged with fraud on Wednesday, are challenging the court’s composition. They are questioning the legality of having assessors over the age of 70 participate in the trial. They are seeking a ruling from the Constitutional Court on this issue and other constitutional matters before the trial can proceed.
