No bail joy for Mubaiwa

Harare(New Ziana) – High Court Judge, Justice Pisirayi Kwenda on Tuesday reserved judgment indefinitely in two bail applications filed by Marry Mubaiwa, the estranged wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who is facing four charges including attempted murder.

Mubaiwa was arrested early this month and faces attempted murder, externalisation, money laundering and fraud charges.

In the attempted murder charge, Mubaiwa is accused of trying to kill her then gravely ill husband by tampering with his medical equipment in a hospital ward in South Africa where he was admitted in June.

In the fraud case, she is accused of attempting to upgrade her customary marriage to VP Chiwenga to a civil one without his knowledge or consent.
She denies all the charges.

Mubaiwa has applied for bail on the attempted murder charge at the High Court, and is also appealing in the same court against a decision by the Magistrates Court to deny her bail in the other three cases.

However, Justice Kwenda reserved judgment indefinitely in both bail applications, extending Mubaiwa’s stay in remand prison well into the New Year.

It also emerged at Tuesday’s hearing that the state had managed to identify properties, including cars bought by Mubaiwa in South Africa using allegedly ill-gotten funds.

Mubaiwa was represented by Advocate Sylvester Hashiti instructed by Taona Nyamakaro of Mtetwa & Nyambirai Legal Practitioners.

In her bail application, Mubaiwa argued that she was not a flight risk and that it would be easy for the state to extradite her from South Africa as they had identified properties she owns there.

Her father, Keni Mubaiwa volunteered to deposit title deeds to his properties at No.102 Seke Road as additional security.
New Ziana