TWO Harare businessmen, Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, who are accused of defrauding the Government of US$7 million after they allegedly failed to supply goats under the Presidential Goat Scheme despite receiving payment, appeared in court yesterday and were remanded in custody to today for bail ruling.
Mpofu (49), who is the managing director of Blackdeck Pvt Ltd, and Chimombe (43), were arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa charged with fraud.
Prosecutor Mr Anesu Chirenje said the State was opposed to bail and sought a postponement of the matter to today to allow him to familiarise himself with the documentary evidence to be used in the bail application.
He said he also wanted to lead evidence from two investigating officers.
Lawyers for the accused, Mr Arshiel Mugiya and Mr Tapson Dzvetero, challenged the application by the prosecution, arguing that bail was a constitutional right.
They said their clients were good candidates for bail as they were coming from home and not from the custody of ZACC.
Mrs Gofa ruled in favour of the State and rolled over the matter to today.
The State is alleging that Mpofu and Chimombe forged a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) tax clearance certificate and a NSSA compliance certificate in the name of Blackdeck and attached them to a bidding document which they submitted to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development for a tender to supply and deliver goats under the Presidential Goat Pass-on Scheme.
They allegedly misrepresented that the company was in full compliance with ZIMRA and NSSA requirements.
However, investigations indicated that the QR code and the reference on the NSSA compliance certificate were issued to a different company and that Blackdeck (Pvt) Ltd was deregistered from the NSSA system in January 2016.
Further investigations revealed that Blackdeck
(Pvt) Ltd was not issued with a ZIMRA tax clearance certificate for the year 2021 and that the QR code on the forged tax clearance certificate belonged to a different company.
Acting on the misrepresentation, the Ministry of Lands entered into a contract with Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming on November 16, 2021, for the supply and delivery of 632 001 goats for the Presidential Goats Pass-on Scheme, valued at US$87 757 168.
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On the contract, Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming was represented by Mpofu and Tinashe Chimombe, who was his witness.
The Ministry of Lands contracted Blackdeck Private Limited on November 3, 2021, and transferred ZWL$901 294 200 and ZWL$698 705 800 on April 21, 2022, and June 29, 2022, respectively into their bank account.
The total amount paid out was ZWL$1,6 billion (equivalent to US$7 712 197 at the time).
Following delays in the delivery of the goats, the Ministry of Lands officials made several engagements with the accused persons, who misrepresented that they had mobilised 32 500 goats across the provinces which were ready to be distributed to beneficiaries.
However, a verification process revealed that the accused persons only had 3 713 goats in their holding sites and consequently cancelled the contract on August 29, 2022.
The accused persons only supplied a total of 4 208 goats valued at US$331 445 and went on to convert US$7 380 751 to their personal use.
Nothing was recovered.
