The highly anticipated US$7 million fraud and corruption trial against Zimbabwean businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu has hit another snag. The trial, which was scheduled to commence on Monday, February 24, has been postponed after Chimombe reportedly fell ill and was ordered to undergo seven days of bed rest. As a result, High Court judge Justice Pisirayi Kwenda has adjourned the proceedings to March 3, 2025.
This latest delay is just one in a series of postponements that have plagued the trial since Chimombe and Mpofu’s formal arraignment on fraud charges in October. Last week, the trial was pushed back after the defense successfully challenged the appointment of two assessors who were set to hear the case alongside Justice Kwenda. The accused have also made multiple attempts to stall the proceedings, including a failed bid to take the case to the Constitutional Court and a rejected bail application citing “changed circumstances.”
At the heart of the case is the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme, a government project aimed at empowering rural communities through livestock distribution. Prosecutors allege that Chimombe and Mpofu orchestrated a fraudulent scheme to siphon off US$7 million from the initiative, using falsified compliance certificates from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and the National Social Security Authority. The accused face up to 20 years in jail if convicted.
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