Online Reporter
Fidelis Munyoro
Chief Court Reporter
The defence in the corruption trial of businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, accused of misappropriating millions from the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme, has formally notified the prosecution of its intention to seek new trial.
This follows the recent appointment of two new assessors—Mr Temba Kuwanda, a regional magistrate, and Ms Margaret Chitsiga—to join Justice Pisirayi Kwenda on the bench.
The defence argues that the reconstitution of the court necessitates a trial de novo, a complete retrial in which both factual and legal matters are considered afresh, as though the previous proceedings never occurred.
Acknowledging this procedural turn, Justice Kwenda, with the agreement of both the defence and prosecution, adjourned the matter to Friday to hear the application.
The prosecution, led by Mr Whisper Mabhaudhi, has signaled its opposition to the defence’s interpretation of the law regarding the implications of the court’s reconstitution.
The allegations against Chimombe and Mpofu centre on their purported orchestration of a scheme to divert funds from the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme, a Government programme aimed at empowering rural communities through the distribution of livestock.
Prosecutors claim that the pair falsified compliance certificates from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) and the National Social Security Authority (Nssa), fraudulently issued under Blackdeck Private Limited.
Investigations have since revealed that Blackdeck was deregistered from the Nssa system in January 2016.
