The High Court has dismissed an application by jailed businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu seeking leave to appeal against their convictions and sentences. The ruling was delivered on Monday, with the court finding no merit in their bid to challenge the outcome of their trial.
In its decision, the High Court of Zimbabwe ruled that the trial court had correctly applied the law and that there were no reasonable prospects of success on appeal. The judge noted that even if there had been minor errors during sentencing, they were not prejudicial to the accused and, in some instances, actually favoured them.
Chimombe and Mpofu were convicted over the abuse of millions of US dollars under the controversial Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme, after evidence showed that only a small portion of the agreed livestock was delivered despite substantial government payments. With the appeal application now rejected, the two will remain in custody and continue serving their respective prison sentences unless they pursue further legal remedies.
