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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 82547, member: 636"] Two guys just got shut down hard after trying to appeal their goat scheme convictions. Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, central figures in that massive presidential goats scandal, saw their applications for appeal dismissed by the State. Prosecutor Whisper Mabhaudhi argued the applications totally lacked seriousness and any real legal merit. He requested the court throw them out, stating neither man had a genuine prospect of success against their convictions or sentences. Mabhaudhi called Mpofu's stated grounds for appeal unclear and ambiguous. He emphasized that proper legal grounds must be concise and specific, informing the court of exact errors. The prosecution specifically noted one ground that merely alleged the court erred without substance. Regarding the sentence appeal, the State's response was brutally dismissive. They labeled Mpofu's complaint about his seventeen-year term as ridiculous. He apparently believed a three-month suspended sentence with a tiny fine was more appropriate. Both individuals were convicted for their roles in an eighty-seven-million-dollar scheme involving presidential goats. They received effective prison terms of twelve and seventeen years, respectively. In their appeal, they argued the court invented its own charges and convicted them without evidence. This gave them a strong belief they would win on appeal. Chimombe's lawyer, Lovemore Madhuku, contended the leave to appeal should be granted due to the national importance of the charge. He insisted the matter needed fuller legal ventilation in a higher court. The State's response effectively blocked this next step for now. [/QUOTE]

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