Graft-accused Mugabe era Minister to stay in prison

The Harare Magistrate’s Court has ruled that former Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi should stay in prison. Mzembi, who had been in exile in South Africa since 2018, made a surprise return to Zimbabwe last week and was subsequently arrested for defaulting on three warrants of arrest issued seven years ago. News24 reports that Mzembi and other former Ministers, including Saviour Kasukuwere and Jonathan Moyo, left the country following a 2017 military-led coup that removed Robert Mugabe. Before he crossed the border to SA in 2018, Mzembi was facing charges of corruption and criminal abuse of office. Magistrate Donald Ndirowei refused to cancel Mzembi’s 2018 warrants of arrest and ruled ‘that he should stay locked up at Harare Remand Prison until all his cases of corruption and criminal abuse of office are finalised’.