MARRY Mubaiwa, the estranged wife of Acting President
Chiwenga, who is facing charges of attempted murder, money laundering, foreign
currency externalisation and fraud has appeared for routine remand at the
Harare Magistrates court and has been remanded out of custody to the 14th of
February 2020.
Mubaiwa was granted ZWL$50 000 bail by the High Court on
the 6th of January 2020 after spending the Christmas and New year holidays in
custody.
Mubaiwa is accused of trying to kill her former husband,
Retired General Constantino Chiwenga during the time he was sick in South
Africa by allegedly removing life support medical equipment on her husband.
In granting bail, the High Court judge, Justice Pisirayi
Kwenda indicated that submissions by the State that were accepted by the court
in denying Mubaiwa bail at the lower court were not fair.
“The State submitted with a perception of catch and
release. The State suggested that the perception arose from the fact that
persons facing corruption charges who are admitted to bail absconded trial
after their passports were returned to them and in some cases without
passports,” read the ruling, by Justice Kwenda.
“The decision of the court a quo is substituted with the
following, the accused is hereby admitted to bail pending trial, the accused
shall deposit the sum of $50 000 with the clerk of court at Harare Magistrates
court, the accused shall reside at her Borrowdale Brooke residence in Harare.
The accused shall surrender her diplomatic passport to the clerk of court at
Harare Magistrate’s court. The accused shall report to the Police at Borrowdale
Police Station once a fortnight on a Friday. The accused shall not interfere
with State witnesses.”
On Charges of attempted murder on the vice president, the
38-year-old Mubaiwa denies attempting to kill her former husband saying the
charges were fabricated. She argues that her former husband had brought the
murder charges against her in an attempt to force her hand in divorce
proceedings that are pending in the high court.
Mubaiwa told the court through her lawyers that her alleged
offence occurred when the vice president was already physically frail and
nursing injuries sustained in a bomb attack in Bulawayo in June last year.
In denying charges of attempting to murder her husband,
Mubaiwa told the high court that Rtd Gen Chiwenga had asked President Emmerson
Mnangagwa to make arrangements to have her sent to China, where he was being
treated, and also gave her money.
Mubaiwa said in her bail application that President
Mnangagwa “even sent his personal security with US$30,000 for her personal
upkeep and use”.
All this occurred after July 2019, Mubaiwa’s lawyers told
the court, adding that “it is inconceivable that this would have happened had
she tried to murder her husband”.
On charges of externalisation of foreign currency, money
laundering and fraud, Mubaiwa argued that the State has no reason to charge
her, as the offences she is accused of were committed through her companies,
where she is only a director. She said the State was supposed to charge the
companies and not her.
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