Former Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi has been denied bail after the High Court upheld a ruling to keep him in custody.
High Court Judge Justice Regis Dembure dismissed Mzembi’s bail application, siding with the Harare Magistrates’ Court decision that the former minister should remain behind bars.
Justice Dembure said Mzembi had shown a lack of accountability and could not be trusted to stand trial if released. “There is no guarantee that the accused person will stand trial if released on bail. The current circumstances do not warrant that the accused be admitted to bail,” he ruled.
Mzembi was arrested on allegations of unlawfully disposing of 16 LED television screens valued at US$800 000. The television sets had been procured by the State for public viewing during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The former minister is accused of diverting the equipment by donating the State-owned television screens to churches instead of keeping them for government use.
Mzembi is also facing charges of misusing funds raised for the 20th United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly, which Zimbabwe co-hosted with Zambia in 2013. According to the State, Mzembi sourced sponsorship from companies such as Mbada Diamonds and deposited the money into an unregistered trust account.
