News / National
Gumbura files for bail again
21 Mar 2014 at 08:47hrs | Views
INCARCERATED RMG Independent End Time Message Church leader Robert Martin Gumbura, who is serving a 40-year effective jail term for raping female congregants, filed a fresh bail pending appeal application at the High Court on Wednesday this week.
Gumbura's lawyer Rekai Maposa confirmed to NewsDay yesterday that she filed the court papers two days ago and was now waiting for the State's response.
"The matter has not been set down for hearing yet, but we filed the application on Wednesday this week and we are still waiting for the State to file its response," Maposa said.
Gumbura's bid for freedom at the High Court followed last month's ruling by Harare regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya who refused the man of cloth liberty on the basis that he (Mujaya) had no jurisdiction to entertain a third schedule offence.
Gumbura was slapped with a 50-year jail term after he was found guilty on four counts of rape and one of possessing p*rnographic material.
Prosecutor-General's representative Jonathan Murombedzi told the court during the last hearing that the disgraced cleric was likely to abscond given that he was expected to stand another rape trial.
Murombedzi said Gumbura had established churches in South Africa and the United Kingdom where he could seek refuge and as such, he was not a proper candidate for bail.
The Area Public Prosecutor further said in view of the lengthy custodial sentence that was imposed coupled with the fact that Gumbura was yet to stand another trial, he was likely to abscond once released on bail.
He urged the court to dismiss Gumbura's application, arguing that no appeal court was likely to tamper with his sentence since it was rather on the lenient side.
However, Gumbura maintained he was wrongly convicted on all counts because the said counts for which he was convicted had similar evidence with those of which he was acquitted.
Gumbura's lawyer Rekai Maposa confirmed to NewsDay yesterday that she filed the court papers two days ago and was now waiting for the State's response.
"The matter has not been set down for hearing yet, but we filed the application on Wednesday this week and we are still waiting for the State to file its response," Maposa said.
Gumbura's bid for freedom at the High Court followed last month's ruling by Harare regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya who refused the man of cloth liberty on the basis that he (Mujaya) had no jurisdiction to entertain a third schedule offence.
Gumbura was slapped with a 50-year jail term after he was found guilty on four counts of rape and one of possessing p*rnographic material.
Murombedzi said Gumbura had established churches in South Africa and the United Kingdom where he could seek refuge and as such, he was not a proper candidate for bail.
The Area Public Prosecutor further said in view of the lengthy custodial sentence that was imposed coupled with the fact that Gumbura was yet to stand another trial, he was likely to abscond once released on bail.
He urged the court to dismiss Gumbura's application, arguing that no appeal court was likely to tamper with his sentence since it was rather on the lenient side.
However, Gumbura maintained he was wrongly convicted on all counts because the said counts for which he was convicted had similar evidence with those of which he was acquitted.
Source - newsday
