Court withdraws fraud allegations against couple

The State has withdrawn some of the fraud charges against Clark Clever Makoni and Beverly Aisha Ndonda Makoni, who are accused of defrauding former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono in a property dispute. The withdrawal was prompted by the fact that the same allegations were already being tried under a separate magistrate.

Gono had accused the Makonis of fraudulently transferring ownership of his property, Valley Lodge, into their own names while managing it. Valley Lodge, owned by Gono's Galwex Investments (Pvt) Ltd, was allegedly placed under the couple's management in 2017. The State claimed that the couple later altered the company's directorship, leading to the fraud charges.

However, during a court session on Thursday, magistrate Sharon Rakafa ruled that the charges could not proceed in her court since they were already under trial before regional magistrate Stanford Mambani. Citing section 8 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, which allows the State to withdraw charges before a plea is entered, Rakafa highlighted the redundancy of pursuing the same case simultaneously under two magistrates.

The couple, in their defense, has consistently denied the allegations, claiming that they are being targeted by Gono and other politically influential individuals. In court submissions, the Makonis argued that their arrest was a result of a vendetta driven by Gono's political connections.

"The accused person further asserts that these are clearly malicious, frivolous, and vexatious allegations being peddled by the complainant in connivance with those who occupy certain positions of influence within the law enforcement agencies or other government-linked institutions who maliciously caused their arrest without any shred of evidence to justify their arrest and/or prosecution," the couple stated in their defense.

The dispute centers around the sale of shares in Lizack and Valley Lodge, initially owned by Costick Investments (Pvt) Ltd, to Gono's Galwex Investments (Pvt) Ltd in October 2009. The couple's company was later assigned to manage the lodge, leading to the current conflict.

As the case continues, the Makonis maintain their innocence, alleging that Gono is using his influence to pursue personal grievances against them.