HARARE – Former Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi has been denied bail by the High Court after Justice Regis Dembure ruled that his seven-year absence from Zimbabwe and previous failure to stand trial proved he could not be trusted to appear in court if released.
The judge ruled that Mzembi could not be trusted to stand trial, given his previous record of absconding and spending seven years outside Zimbabwe.
“The court finds no guarantee that the accused will present himself for trial if released on bail. The circumstances before us do not justify granting bail,” Justice Dembure said.
Mzembi was arrested in June following his return to Zimbabwe, where he is facing charges of theft of trust property. The allegations stem from two separate cases.
In the first, prosecutors accuse him of unlawfully disposing of 16 LED television screens worth US$800 000, which had been bought for public viewing during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Instead of being used for their intended purpose, the State alleges the ex-minister distributed the equipment to churches and other institutions without Treasury approval.
The second case relates to funds raised for the 20th United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly, co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia in 2013.
It is alleged that Mzembi and his associates secured sponsorship from corporates such as Mbada Diamonds, deposited the money into an unregistered trust account, and later converted three vehicles purchased from the funds to personal use.
Defence lawyer TK Mandiki had urged the High Court to set aside the magistrate’s decision, arguing that it had ignored key evidence, including a prior ruling (HH 120/21) which he claimed cleared his client of wrongdoing.
He also cited Mzembi’s poor health, saying his client was bedridden and deserved bail under strict conditions, including surrendering title deeds and paying US$3 000.
State prosecutor L Chitanda, however, opposed the application, stressing that Mzembi had already demonstrated his unreliability by fleeing the country in 2018 after initially being granted bail, which stalled his trial for seven years.
The High Court sided with the State, leaving the former minister behind bars as he awaits trial.
Mzembi is one of several former ministers and Zanu-PF bigwigs who fled Zimbabwe in 2017 after the current President Emmerson Mnangagwa grabbed power through a military coup from the late former President Robert Mugabe.
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