Yeukai Karengezeka — The trial of Harare businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, who are facing US$7,7 million fraud charges after they allegedly siphoned the money from the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme, has been set for October 1 to 4 at the Harare High Court.
Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa indicted Chimombe and Mpofu after the State said it was ready to proceed to trial.
"In regards to this particular matter, we are ready to indict the accused person from 1 to 4 October at the High Court.
"Everything is now in order. May it also be noted that l have served the accused with State papers, including documentary evidence which includes Government Gazette, CR14, tax clearance, and the contract addendum," said Mr Anesu Chirenje.
The State is alleging that the accused persons forged a ZIMRA tax clearance certificate and a NSSA compliance certificate in the name of Blackdeck Private Limited and attached them in a bidding document which they submitted to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development for a tender for the supply and delivery of goats for the Presidential Goat Pass-on Scheme.
They misrepresented that the company was in full compliance with ZIMRA and NSSA requirements.
However, investigations show 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.
The court heard 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.
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Acting on the misrepresentation, on 16 November 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture entered into a contract agreement with Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming for the supply and delivery of 632 001 goats for the Presidential Goats pass-on Scheme valued at US$87 757 168.
On the contract, Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming was represented by Mopfu and Tinashe Chimombe who was his witness.
The Ministry of Lands contracted Blackdeck (Pvt) on November 3 2021 and transferred ZWL$901 294 200 and ZWL$698 705 800 on 21 April 2022 and 29 June 2022, respectively into their bank account.
The total amount was ZWL$1,6 billion, which was equivalent to US$7 712 197.
Following delays in the delivery of the goats, Ministry of Lands officials made several engagements with Chimombe and Mpofu, who misrepresented that they had mobilised 32 500 goats across the provinces which were ready to be distributed to the 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 29 August 2022.
The accused persons only supplied 4 208 goats valued at US#331 445 and went on to convert US$7 380 751 to their personal use.
