Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu to spend another night in police custody for bail hearing continuation.
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.
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.
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
