Online Reporter
WE now know that Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu will serve a combined 27 years in jail in the event that they pay restitution of about US$3 million.
Chimombe is expected to serve 12 years, in the event he pays restitution, while Mpofu is expected to serve 15 years, in the event he also does the same.
The prosecution had initially proposed an effective 25-year sentence, with part of it suspended on condition Mpofu and Chimombe paid restitution of a staggering US$7,38 million.
Mpofu’s 22-year sentence includes a three-year suspension on good behaviour and another four years suspended on condition he pays US$2 060 250.60 in restitution by February 28, 2026.
Chimombe’s 17-year sentence includes a three-year suspension on good behaviour and two years suspended on condition he pays US$964,064.64 in restitution by the same date.
Both men have already spent 18 months in pre-trial detention, which was taken into account in sentencing.
The sentences imposed on the duo come at a time when Zimbabwe is grappling with the corrosive effects of corruption.
This landmark sentencing sends a piercing signal: economic crimes against the public purse have serious consequences.
The two businessmen have also indicated they will appeal against both judgment and sentence.
Lawyers representing the two said they will return to the High Court soon to request permission to escalate their appeal to the Supreme Court.
He also indicated that the State will appeal against the sentence because it was not harsh enough.
Justice Kwenda sent the two business partners to jail after being convicted of defrauding the Government of more than US$7 million in public funds meant for vulnerable rural households under the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme.
The court found the two guilty of orchestrating a well-planned fraud using forged documents and the creation of a fictitious company to secure a government contract meant to supply over half a million goats to impoverished communities.
Mpofu and Chimombe submitted a fraudulent tender under the name Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming – a non-existent entity.
This was a high-profile case and the entire nation has been following it since the case first rolled into court.
Justice Kwenda was right that the court had to show that what the two businessmen did was not acceptable and will not be tolerated.
He was right that the court should send a powerful statement that those who are found to have betrayed such trust need to feel the full wrath of the law.
He was also right to give them the lengthy sentences in jail even though the prosecution believes that the combined 27 years in prison is not harsh enough and will appeal against it.
The Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme was launched to improve nutrition, food security, and income for vulnerable households, including those headed by orphans, the elderly, and the disabled.
Instead, it was hijacked by the two businessmen and transformed into a vehicle for them to enrich themselves.
They needed to pay a heavy price for that and we are happy that justice has been done and they are paying for their sins.
