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Freeman Razemba–Crime Reporter 

Economic Empowerment Group (EEG) President Mike Chimombe was yesterday acquitted of fraud charges after the prosecution had highlighted that there was no evidence linking him to the offence.

Chimombe, recently appeared in court charged with defrauding a stand buyer of US$16 900 but the prosecution yesterday dropped the charges against him.

In an interview soon after the court appearance, Chimombe’s laywer Advocate Tapson Dzvetero confirmed that his client was now a free man.

“The State has made an application to withdraw the charges against my client and the court had to ask and we had to explain and the court has accepted and has exonerated my client and has excused my client.

“He is no longer facing any charges and like what my client has always been saying that there was no legal basis whatsoever to have him brought to court on those flimsy charges. And those charges in my client’s view trumped up by political rivalry and like any lies they have very short legs, they won’t run to anywhere, it was meant to tarnish my client’s good social standing and good reputation.

“And the court has accepted that, so the charges my client were facing were withdrawn before plea and my client has been excused and he is now a free man,” he said.    

Accusations were that between August 5, 2020 and March 10 this year, Chimombe was being accused of having acted in connivance with Hermysh Katsande and Steven Chimombe, to defraud Brian Marungamise.

Katsande and Steven Chimombe were arrested in July and are already appearing in court on similar charges.

It had been alleged that they misrepresented to Mr Marungamise that they were owners and sellers of 18000 Remainder of Lot 12 Tynwald Township, Harare measuring 558 square metres.

Mr Marungamise is said to have paid US$16 900 to Chimombe who, according to the State, knew that he does not own and had no such residential stand.

When it was found the stand was already owned by someone else, he was offered another Tynwald stand, which he accepted.

Later it was also found to be already owned and he was offered a stand in Waterfalls.

When that stand also turned out to be already owned, Mr Marungamise went to the police.