The ongoing ZW$137 million fraud case involving former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono took a dramatic turn this week as lawyers representing the accused couple, Clark Clever Makoni and his wife Beverly Aisha, argued against the introduction of new evidence and sought the dismissal of a key witness.
Admire Rubaya, the defence lawyer for the Makonis, contested the credibility of testimony provided by George Mashonganyika, who appeared in court as a representative of ZB Bank. Rubaya argued that Mashonganyika’s evidence should not be accepted as fact because he was not employed by the bank during the time the alleged fraud took place in 2017. The Makonis are accused of defrauding Gono of ZW$137,736,500 by withdrawing funds through ZB Bank.
Additionally, the defence raised concerns over a key document presented by Mashonganyika, which was claimed to be proof of the Makonis’ involvement in the fraud. Rubaya pointed out that the document lacked the necessary signatures from the accused, casting doubt on its validity.
In response, Magistrate Stanford Mambanje ruled that no new documents or evidence could be introduced at this stage of the trial, as this should have been done at least two days before the proceedings began.
This development follows a decision by the State earlier this month to withdraw charges against the Makonis related to the alleged illegal transfer of ownership of Valley Lodge from Gono to themselves. State prosecutor Sithembiso Moyo informed the court that there was insufficient evidence to support those allegations.
The case has been deferred to Friday for the continuation of the trial.