High Court Denies Former Mugabe Minister Walter Mzembi Bail
Former Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi will remain behind bars after the High Court dismissed his latest bid for bail pending trial. The court ruled that his past record of absconding and the seriousness of the charges against him made him a high flight risk.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Dembure said Mzembi had been absent from court since 2018 and still faced serious allegations of stealing trust property worth nearly US$1 million. He noted that Mzembi had once skipped trial, claiming he had gone abroad for medical treatment, which turned him into a fugitive for seven years.
The judge made it clear that Mzembi had not shown enough assurance that, if released, he would not vanish again.
“He needs to put this court into confidence that if he is released on bail, he is not going to abscond again. This court is not convinced that the accused person will stand trial if he is released on bail,” Justice Dembure ruled.
Mzembi’s lawyers had argued that the delays in bringing the case to trial were the State’s fault and therefore their client deserved bail. But Justice Dembure dismissed this claim, pointing out that the trial could not proceed precisely because Mzembi had gone into hiding for years.
“The record clearly shows that the appellant could not be tried as he was a fugitive from justice for about seven years,” he said.
He said the former minister had failed to present convincing medical evidence or guarantees that he would abide by bail conditions if released.
In his ruling, Justice Dembure underlined that bail is not something automatically granted. He said every application must be judged on its own facts, and in this case, Mzembi had not convinced the court.
With the ruling, the ex-minister will stay in remand custody while awaiting trial on charges related to the alleged unlawful disposal of public assets.
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The post High Court Denies Former Mugabe Minister Walter Mzembi Bail appeared first on iHarare News.
