Gono Fraud Trial Witness Faces Credibility Storm

Zim Now Reporter

The ZWL$137 million fraud case against Beverly and Clark Makoni, involving former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono, took a dramatic turn on Friday as the reliability of a key state witness was called into question in court.

Doubts arose regarding her auditing qualifications and the lack of fundamental proof to support her allegations of financial misappropriation.

Lindiwe Sabeka, the auditor called to substantiate claims that the Makonis illicitly obtained Gono's funds through changes in his company’s ownership, underwent intense scrutiny over her professional credentials. It emerged that she lacked the necessary documentation to confirm her legitimacy as a qualified auditor.

During cross-examination by defense lawyer Admire Rubaya, Sabeka conceded to significant flaws in the audit report presented by her firm. She admitted that the report lacked "primary evidence"—which the defense argued is crucial to authenticate the findings and allow the court to independently verify whether an offence was committed. Furthermore, Sabeka acknowledged that individuals without auditing or accounting backgrounds had been part of the audit team.

Sabeka’s claim that the ZWL$137 million was "misappropriated as salaries to the two against the provisions of real estate law" was further undermined by her inability to identify who had authorized the payments. When Rubaya asked, “Were you there when the payments were made? Do you know who authorized the transactions?” she responded simply, “No.”

Adding to the inconsistencies, Sabeka—who is not a legal professional—cited “one Samantha Nyati, whom she said is a lawyer at the Real Estate Agents Council,” as her source for interpreting the alleged breach of real estate law. In response, the Makonis’ legal team stated their intention to verify Nyati’s legal standing with the Law Society of Zimbabwe.

When asked to produce the “alleged forged company documents” or any other evidence supporting her claims, Sabeka demurred, stating, “I do not have them because Clark only showed them to us.” She also admitted that the audit had been finalized without giving the Makonis an opportunity to respond to its findings.

Rubaya characterized Sabeka’s testimony as “hearsay evidence,” given that the events in question occurred while she was employed at the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.

Sabeka confessed that she had “no knowledge of the relationship the two had with Gono” and had relied solely on what Gono told her. When Rubaya asked, “You were not there when the accused persons entered into a relationship with Gono?” she answered, “Yes.”

He then concluded, “It is only Gono and the accused persons who know the nature of their relationship, and you're only relying on what he relayed to you?” to which she again answered, “Yes.” The defense then argued that her evidence was inadmissible as hearsay.