Chimombe, Mpofu found guilty
STAFF WRITER
Business partners Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe were yesterday found guilty of defrauding the State in the Presidential Goats Scheme after the High Court determined that they misled the Ministry of Lands into awarding them a tender using forged compliance certificates.
The judgment, delivered by High Court Judge Justice Pisirayi Kwenda, concluded a year-long trial that exposed how the two businessmen manipulated tender processes through falsified documents. The court established that the pair knowingly used forged ZIMRA and NSSA certificates as part of their bid, a move that amounted to deliberate fraud against the State.
Justice Kwenda found that officials from both ZIMRA and NSSA provided credible testimony confirming the certificates were fraudulent and that the documents formed a critical part of the tender requirements.
The court heard that Blackdeck, the company fronted by Mpofu and Chimombe, had been disqualified by ZIMRA and was listed as inactive in the NSSA database at the time of bidding, yet still managed to win the contract through falsified compliance documentation.
The ruling marked a significant victory for the State in its ongoing effort to curb corruption within public procurement systems. Justice Kwenda concluded that the use of fake certificates demonstrated intent to deceive and manipulate the tendering process, thereby defrauding the government’s flagship livestock empowerment programme.
