By Judith Matanire
Former Tourism minister Walter Mzembi has been granted bail by the High Court after spending close to a year in remand prison, as he awaits judgment in a criminal abuse of office case.
The ruling, delivered by High Court judge Benjamin Chikowero, set bail at US$1 000 and imposed strict conditions, including that Mzembi resides at his Wilmington Park home and does not travel beyond a 30-kilometre radius of the court. He was also ordered to surrender his passport.
Mzembi is facing allegations linked to his time in office, where he is accused of improperly authorising the distribution of government-owned public viewing screens to churches without Treasury approval. The equipment had originally been acquired for fan parks during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
According to the State, the screens were allocated to several religious organisations, including Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries, United Family International Church and Zion Christian Church.
A investigations officer from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission told the court that the process violated established procurement and asset disposal procedures, citing the absence of Treasury clearance.
The prosecution maintained that the evidence presented established a case requiring Mzembi to answer, while the defence argued there was no sufficient basis to place him on his defence at the close of the State’s case.
Mzembi was taken into custody in June last year after returning from South Africa, where he had been living for some time. Although bail has now been granted, his legal team indicated there were administrative delays affecting his immediate release.
Judgment in the matter is expected later this week.
