Former bank chief Gideon Gono appeared in court Friday to accuse a married couple of stealing millions from him. Clark Clever Makoni and his wife Beverly face fraud charges over Valley Lodge company takeover allegations. The state claims they tricked Gono out of ZWL$137 million during a shady business deal. Prosecutors say the pair forged documents to make themselves company directors without permission. Both defendants deny wrongdoing and fight the accusations.
Gono hired the Makonis back in July 2017 to run Valley Lodge and other properties he controlled. Court papers show the couple supposedly went beyond their management duties and grabbed control illegally. They allegedly created fake paperwork naming Clark as director and company secretary. Beverly also appointed herself as a company director through the same dodgy documents. The scheme allegedly cost Gono huge amounts of money.
The former Reserve Bank governor admitted his advancing years make remembering dates difficult without checking his notes. Defense lawyers jumped on this weakness and questioned whether his testimony could be trusted. Gono quickly backtracked and told the judge his memory comment was misunderstood. He tried to withdraw the statement about age affecting his recall abilities. The legal team pressed him hard about timeline inconsistencies.
Clark apparently apologized to Gono when the fraud came to light and offered $50,000 compensation. The settlement deal never happened because Beverly refused to attend meetings or sign agreements. Defense lawyer Admire Rubaya challenged the paperwork and questioned why Gono had signed documents listing the couple as legitimate directors. The trial resumes July 11 before magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
Gono hired the Makonis back in July 2017 to run Valley Lodge and other properties he controlled. Court papers show the couple supposedly went beyond their management duties and grabbed control illegally. They allegedly created fake paperwork naming Clark as director and company secretary. Beverly also appointed herself as a company director through the same dodgy documents. The scheme allegedly cost Gono huge amounts of money.
The former Reserve Bank governor admitted his advancing years make remembering dates difficult without checking his notes. Defense lawyers jumped on this weakness and questioned whether his testimony could be trusted. Gono quickly backtracked and told the judge his memory comment was misunderstood. He tried to withdraw the statement about age affecting his recall abilities. The legal team pressed him hard about timeline inconsistencies.
Clark apparently apologized to Gono when the fraud came to light and offered $50,000 compensation. The settlement deal never happened because Beverly refused to attend meetings or sign agreements. Defense lawyer Admire Rubaya challenged the paperwork and questioned why Gono had signed documents listing the couple as legitimate directors. The trial resumes July 11 before magistrate Stanford Mambanje.
