STATE SEEKS 35 JAIL TERM FOR CHIMOMBE, MPOFU

Convicted businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu say they have 24 children, and a combined net worth of about US$3 million, on the day the State called for them to be jailed for 35 years.

Chimombe has three wives and 15 children, who are all minors, and depend on him for everything they need in their lives.

Mpofu has nine children.

In football terms, the two businessmen could even stage a friendly match featuring their children, on holiday, and even have the luxury of having one substitute on either side.

Chimombe claims he only managed to get as far as O-Level, in terms of his education, before joining politics and owning several businesses.

He submitted that he used to earn an average of US$15,000 to US$20,000 per month and is a person who would never hatch a plan to commit an offence of such a magnitude.

Chimombe said he owns two houses, one in Borrowdale worth US$800,000 and another in Chinhoyi, with an estimated value of US$120,000.

Some of his personal circumstances include his diabetic condition and that he suffers from High Blood pressure

The two said they have responsibilities over various enterprises and two dozen children to take care of.

They were pleading their case in a pre-sentencing hearing yesterday, which spilled well into the night.

The two were convicted in October for their roles in a corruption scandal which derailed a national programme in which the Government lost US$7,38 million.

As their personal circumstances and mitigation factors, Chimombe and Mpofu persuaded High Court Judge, Justice Pisirayi Kwenda, to consider shorter prison sentences, considering their pre-incarceration period, which is now close to 18 months.

Presenting his case, Mpofu apologised to the nation and took the blame for not checking the documents that were found fraudulent.

Mpofu claimed he has nine children, his oldest is 25 while the youngest is six.

He submitted that he has an approximate net worth close to US$1,5 million and used to earn between US$10,000 to US$15,000 a month while running a farm and other businesses which he did not disclose.

“I first want to first apologise to the President and the people of Zimbabwe, I regret everything that happened in the Presidential Pass-On Goat scheme that I and Blackdeck were entrusted to oversee.

“As a citizen I have confidence in all the programmes that are rolled out by the Government to empower its people. 

“I want to apologise on behalf of Blackdeck, its directors and shareholders that we failed to verify or perform due diligence, that the ZIMRA Tax clearance and NSSA certificate were genuine or fraudulent.

“The papers were fraudulent and I stand in court today to admit that we failed on our part,” said Mpofu.

His lawyer pleaded for a shorter prison sentence. Chimombe said the court should look at the degree of his participation and said he was not the actual perpetrator.

He said he would never hatch a plan to commit such an offence.

The State has implored the court to send out a strong message to wannabe offenders in sentencing the duo given that they were convicted of a serious offence involving public funds.

It also said the two acted in common purpose and must be treated equally since no restitution has been made so far.

The prosecutor suggested a maximum of 35 years based on the statutory penalty.

The Government allocated ZWL 1,6 billion, equivalent to US$7,71 million at the time, for goat procurement and delivery.

But by the end of 2022, only 4 208 goats, worth US$331 445, were delivered.

The contractor then suspended operations, leaving a shortfall of 103,382 goats and an outstanding US$7,38 million. Herald