Pre-investigation arrests: 15 months on, state not ready for Marry Chiwenga trial
By Nyashadzashe Ndoro | Nehanda Courts |
It’s now fifteen (15) months since the state started investigating Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s estranged wife Marry, nee Mubaiwa, who is facing a string of charges including the attempted murder of her husband.
On Monday, Mubaiwa had an application to be removed from remand thrown out by Magistrate Stanford Mambanje. In fact, Mambanje granted an application by state prosecutor Netsai Mushayabasa to have the matter remanded to the 28th of June.
In an interview with Nehanda Radio Mubaiwa’s lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa expressed worry with the manner in which the state operated arguing the matter had taken more than a year to investigate yet her client was on remand.
Mtetwa then asked the basis that the state used to place Mubaiwa on remand.
“As applied to have the matter remanded for two months because they say their investigations are yet to be completed and the excuse they are giving is the excuse they have been giving for the past 15 months,” Mtetwa said.
“When we first came to court in December 2019 the state said it required up to 27 January 2020 to finalise it’s investigations which were being conducted in South Africa.
“They have been giving this excuse since January 2020 and we are saying on what basis she was arrested and if the information that a crime was committed is still being looked for.
“Surely the investigations ought to have been done before she was arrested and it was always known that some of these investigations would be in South Africa.
“So they are now using Covid-19 as an excuse that there was a lockdown but the lockdown at the end of March came exactly 2 months after they had said investigations would have been completed.
“It’s quite obvious that she was arrested without any investigations have been done and right now the state is still looking for evidence that she has committed a crime, so the question that arises is what was used to place her on remand in the first place if the State still don’t have that information that she committed a crime?”
Basically, Mubaiwa is worried with her bail conditions which have resulted in her failing to travel to South Africa for urgent treatment after she was diagnosed with severe lymphoedema which has caused “gross swelling of both hands and feet” and “large open wounds on both arms with some degree of granulation.”
Mubaiwa says she sustained the disease from the White City bombing that happened on 23 June 2018.
Mtetwa told Nehanda Radio that Mubaiwa “was in hospital, discharged yesterday so that she could attend proceedings today.
“It’s extremely nonjudicial that she should be made to come backwards and forwards to courts that are not ready to deal with her case.”
The 39 year old former model was arrested in December 2019 and is accused of allegations of attempted murder of her husband who was gravely ill in a South African hospital.
She also faces charges of money laundering and fraud relating to a house and luxury vehicles allegedly bought in South Africa and China, allegations she denies.
She however, accuses the Vice President of fabricating the charges to swing a child custody battle in his favour after the vice president filed for divorce. Nehanda Radio
