The pre-sentencing enquiry of convicted fraudsters Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu resumed at the Harare High Court on Wednesday, with a State witness from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development scheduled to face cross-examination by the defence.
Last week, the State led evidence from Mr Alga Mindurwa as part of the pre-sentencing enquiry, which allows the court to assess the impact of the crime committed by the convicted duo.
The pre-sentencing hearing is now part of the process leading to the sentencing of a conviction in line with the August 2023 Sentencing Guidelines.
The guidelines use a presumptive penalty to balance harsher sentences for aggravating factors with leniency for mitigating ones.
The two were convicted of defrauding the government of over US$7 million in a Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme.
According to the witness, Chimombe and Mpofu’s actions derailed the country’s Vision 2030 agenda and heavily affected the intended empowerment of youths and women
