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Charges against Mzembi will be dropped
6 hrs ago | Views
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi is set to be released on Monday, with all charges against him expected to be dropped under a secret agreement reportedly brokered with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mzembi, who had been living in exile in Zambia, quietly returned to Zimbabwe last week and allegedly held private talks with President Mnangagwa - either in person at State House or via phone, according to conflicting reports from sources close to the matter.
A well-placed source who spoke to Nehanda Radio claimed Mzembi briefly returned to Zambia before flying back to Zimbabwe on Friday, following a direct communication with the president. Upon arrival, the former Masvingo South MP was promptly arrested and appeared in court on Saturday, where prosecutors revealed that three outstanding arrest warrants had been issued against him.
Mzembi, who served as Tourism and later Foreign Affairs Minister during the final years of the late President Robert Mugabe's administration, spent the weekend in jail despite his legal team arguing that he did not deliberately abscond from his 2018 criminal abuse of office trial. They insisted he had been receiving medical treatment in South Africa at the time of his alleged default.
However, Nehanda Radio has now been informed that the charges are to be withdrawn and Mzembi will be released on Monday, bringing an end to the legal proceedings that have followed him for more than five years.
If confirmed, this development marks a dramatic turn in Mzembi's political fortunes, from exile and pending prosecution to potential rehabilitation, amid speculation he could be re-entering the political fold under a deal crafted with Mnangagwa.
While government sources have yet to publicly confirm the alleged arrangement, Mzembi's imminent release is likely to stir debate around the politicisation of the justice system and growing concerns over selective application of the law in Zimbabwe.
More details are expected to emerge as the court proceedings resume on Monday.
Mzembi, who had been living in exile in Zambia, quietly returned to Zimbabwe last week and allegedly held private talks with President Mnangagwa - either in person at State House or via phone, according to conflicting reports from sources close to the matter.
A well-placed source who spoke to Nehanda Radio claimed Mzembi briefly returned to Zambia before flying back to Zimbabwe on Friday, following a direct communication with the president. Upon arrival, the former Masvingo South MP was promptly arrested and appeared in court on Saturday, where prosecutors revealed that three outstanding arrest warrants had been issued against him.
Mzembi, who served as Tourism and later Foreign Affairs Minister during the final years of the late President Robert Mugabe's administration, spent the weekend in jail despite his legal team arguing that he did not deliberately abscond from his 2018 criminal abuse of office trial. They insisted he had been receiving medical treatment in South Africa at the time of his alleged default.
However, Nehanda Radio has now been informed that the charges are to be withdrawn and Mzembi will be released on Monday, bringing an end to the legal proceedings that have followed him for more than five years.
If confirmed, this development marks a dramatic turn in Mzembi's political fortunes, from exile and pending prosecution to potential rehabilitation, amid speculation he could be re-entering the political fold under a deal crafted with Mnangagwa.
While government sources have yet to publicly confirm the alleged arrangement, Mzembi's imminent release is likely to stir debate around the politicisation of the justice system and growing concerns over selective application of the law in Zimbabwe.
More details are expected to emerge as the court proceedings resume on Monday.
Source - Nehanda Radio
