Corruption Trial of Chimombe and Mpofu to be Live Streamed
In a first for corruption criminal court cases in Zimbabwe, ZTN has been granted permission to live broadcast the trial of businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu.
The two are accused of misappropriating funds totalling US$7.7 million from the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme.
Today’s hearing is set to begin at 2 PM at the High Court in Harare and can be viewed on the ZTN Prime channel or YouTube.
Chimombe and Mpofu allegedly forged tax and compliance certificates to secure a tender for supplying goats while misrepresenting their company’s compliance status.
There is speculation that their troubles began after they allegedly leaked phone conversations with controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo, in which Chivayo claimed to have significant influence over President Emmerson Mnangagwa, which assured him of lucrative tenders.
In the leaked audios, Chivayo inadvertently revealed alleged corruption surrounding the awarding of a Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) tender in 2023.
The two were arrested a few weeks after the audio leak, while Chivayo was never arrested, and the presidency has not commented on the alleged corruption.
The accused persons, who were formerly charged with fraud on Wednesday, are contesting the court’s composition by questioning the legality of having assessors over the age of 70.
They seek a ruling from the Constitutional Court on the legality of having such assessors sit with the judge during the trial, along with other constitutional matters they want resolved before proceeding.
More: Pindula News
