The
two
men,
who
spent
a
year
and
a
half
at
Harare
Remand
Prison,
were
transferred
to
Chikurubi
Maximum
Security
Prison
shortly
after
High
Court
judge
Justice
Pisirayi
Kwenda
handed
down
the
sentences.
Speaking
to NewsDay from
Chikurubi
during
a
family
visit,
Chimombe
said
his
lawyers
are
working
to
ensure
an
appeal
is
filed
with
the
Supreme
Court
to
have
both
the
conviction
and
sentence
reviewed.
Said
Chimombe:
“I
believe
a
different
judge
can
arrive
at
a
different
ruling.
It
is
important
that
we
fight
to
prove
our
innocence
so
that
we
can
finally
be
free
and
go
home
to
our
children.
We
are
not
here
to
fight
anyone,
but
just
to
clear
our
names.”
Chimombe
and
Mpofu,
who
were
recently
convicted
of
a
US$7.7
million
fraud
involving
a
government
goat
tender,
have
maintained
their
composure
despite
their
lengthy
incarceration.
Chimombe,
a
ZANU-PF
central
committee
member,
said
he
remains
loyal
to
the
party
and
has
no
intention
of
fighting
it
over
his
imprisonment,
which
many
view
as
politically
motivated.
Mpofu
expressed
optimism
about
their
appeal,
saying
their
lawyers
have
already
begun
the
process.
He
added
that,
since
moving
to
the
high-security
Chikurubi
Prison,
he
is
making
the
best
of
the
situation
while
hoping
for
a
swift
appeal
hearing.
The
two
last
saw
their
homes
a
year
and
a
half
ago,
shortly
after
returning
from
a
trip
to
China.
Upon
arrival,
they
voluntarily
handed
themselves
over
to
the
Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption
Commission
(ZACC),
which
sought
to
interview
them.
They
were
denied
bail
multiple
times
until
their
recent
conviction.
The
pair
were
found
guilty
of
using
forged
documents
to
secure
a
tender
to
supply
632,001
goats
under
a
government
livestock
pass-on
scheme.
The
contract,
intended
to
be
paid
in
three
instalments,
was
originally
awarded
to
Blackdeck
(Private)
Limited.
However,
prosecutors
said
an
unregistered
entity,
Blackdeck
Livestock
and
Poultry
Farming,
later
signed
contractual
documents
with
the
Agriculture
Ministry.
An
investigation
revealed
that
Blackdeck
did
not
have
a
valid
tax
clearance
certificate
for
2021,
and
a
QR
code
on
a
National
Social
Security
Authority
(NSSA)
compliance
certificate
actually
belonged
to
another
company,
Skywalk
Investments.
Despite
receiving
ZWL1.6
billion
(equivalent
to
US$7,712,197
at
the
time)
in
two
instalments
in
2022,
only
4,208
goats,
valued
at
US$331,445,
had
been
delivered
by
the
end
of
that
year.