HARARE The trial of Clark Clever Makoni and Beverly Aisha Ndonda Makoni, who face charges of defrauding former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor Gideon Gono, of ZWL$137 million, took a significant turn on Friday when the court sanctioned the inclusion of an audit report as evidence.
Magistrate Stanford Mambanje rejected objections to audit’s admissibility.
The prosecution, led by Heather Muwokoto, formally presented the audit report to the court. The trial is now scheduled to resume on March 28th.
The core of the accusation revolves around the couple’s alleged manipulation of Valley Lodge’s ownership, purportedly transferring it into their names and subsequently misappropriating substantial funds from the company’s accounts.
During the preceding court session, Lindiwe Sabeka an internal auditor at Galwex Investments, owned by by Gono, provided crucial testimony, outlining the discrepancies uncovered during an internal audit of Valley Lodge.
These irregularities, as detailed by Sabeka, ultimately precipitated the Makonis’ arrest.
Admire Rubaya, the defence counsel, had previously challenged the audit report’s validity, citing concerns over its authorship and the absence of certification from a public auditor.
The prosecution’s case was, however, bolstered by corroborating testimony from additional witnesses.
Tonderai Karumbidza, a ZB Bank manager, testified that the Makonis had altered CR14 documents, falsely representing themselves as the new proprietors of Valley Lodge, situated in Mutare.
Karumbidza described the process by which the couple became authorised signatories on the company’s account, affirming that the bank adhered to its standard operational procedures.
He stated his initial interaction with the accused occurred in 2017 when they sought to modify the signatory details for the Valley Lodge account.
The bank, he explained, provided the necessary forms, including 14A and 14J6, which delineate the requirements for signatory authorization.
The Makonis submitted the requisite Know Your Customer (KYC) documents for processing, and Karumbidza, in his capacity as bank manager, approved their application.
He further added that he interacted with them frequently as they conducted transactions in their supposed capacity as directors.
Adding to the state’s case, Lindsay Musukutwa, Registrar of Companies within the Department of Deeds, Companies, and Intellectual Property, confirmed that the official records maintained by her department still designated the Omar Family as the lawful directors of the company, thereby contradicting the Makonis’ assertions.
