The trial of Clark Clever Makoni and Beverly Aisha Ndonda Makoni, accused of defrauding Dr Gideon Gono’s company, Galwex Investments, of ZWL$137 million, took a pivotal turn on Friday after the court ruled in favour of admitting an audit report that played a crucial role in the couple’s arrest.
During Friday’s
proceedings, presiding magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje determined that the
audit report constituted relevant evidence in the case.
“The objection
to tendering the audit report is overruled. There is nothing wrong with
submitting it, as it was prepared procedurally by the company,” he said.
Mr Mambanje added that the authenticity of the document would later be subject to cross-examination. Following the ruling, prosecutor Ms Heather Muwokoto presented the audit report as an exhibit.
The trial has
been adjourned until March 28 for further proceedings.
The Makonis are
alleged to have fraudulently altered the ownership of Valley Lodge, registering
the property in their names and withdrawing substantial funds from the
company’s bank account.
In the previous
session, Ms Muwokoto called upon Galwex’s internal auditor, Ms Lindiwe Sabeka,
who provided testimony regarding significant findings from an internal audit at
Valley Lodge.
Ms Sabeka, a
full member of the Institute of International Auditors with an Honours degree
in Accountancy and a Diploma in Forensic Accounting, testified that she knew
the accused as individuals contracted by Galwex to manage Valley Lodge as
estate agents.
She detailed
the irregularities uncovered during the audit that ultimately led to the
couple’s arrest.
The defence,
represented by Mr Admire Rubaya, had initially contested the report’s
admissibility, arguing that it lacked proper authorship and certification by a
public auditor.
But additional
witnesses have corroborated the prosecution’s claims.
A ZB Bank
manager, Mr Tonderai Karumbidza, testified that the couple had altered CR14
documents, falsely presenting themselves as the new owners of Valley Lodge,
located in Mutare.
Furthermore,
the Registrar of Companies (Department of Deeds, Companies and Intellectual
Property), Mrs Lindsay Musukutwa, confirmed that the official records still
listed the Omar Family as the legal directors of the company, contradicting the
Makonis’ claims.
Mr Ayoob Omar,
who sold the property to Dr Gono’s Galwex company in 2009, also testified,
confirming that the Omars remained the registered directors of Valley Lodge and
had not authorised anyone to modify the ownership documents due to unresolved
matters with Galwex. Herald
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