Harare – Former Zimbabwe Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi who is in remand prison has fallen ill and has been admitted to a prison hospital, a lawyer said.
”Dr. Walter Mzembi who is currently being held at Harare Remand Prison is unwell and has been admitted to the Prison Hospital,” Jacqueline Sande, a lawyer said on X.
”Our thoughts and prayers are with him. We hope he is released soon so he can access proper medical care.”
Mzembi was recently jailed after his bail was revoked after he defaulted appearing in court for over seven years when he was in South Africa.
Mzembi was the late president Robert Mugabe last Foreign Affairs Minister before a military coup in November, 2017 which ushered in the presidency of Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mzembi was arrested in 2018 and charged with two counts of theft of trust property that occured when he was a government minister.
After his initial arrest in 2018, Mzembi was given bail before he left for South Africa on medical grounds in which his passport was released by the courts.
Mzembi only came back to Zimbabwe in June.
He had three warrants of arrest for failing to appear in court.
Mzembi was arrested upon his arrival at the Robert Mugabe International Airport.
”The accused person was in wilful default he cannot be trusted with his liberty in the circumstances. His warrants of arrests are hereby confirmed and his bail in respect of the two matters before this court is hereby revoked. He is hereby committed to prison pending trial,”magistrate Donald Ndirowei said in his ruling.
”The accused person’s explanation falls far short from convincing because the period of default is just too lengthy, a period of over seven years without nothing heard from the accused person.
”It has not been proved that for all these years the accused person was bedridden such that he could not travel back to Zimbabwe and attend court.” Ndirowei added.
Before the ruling Mzembi through his lawyer had pleaded to have his warrants of arrest canceled submitting to the court that he failed to attend court because he was sick and suffered from rectal cancer.
He said he was operated on and is a confirmed cancer patient who requires constant and consistent care with critical medication to survive.
In applying to be released on bail Mzembi told the court that he is amenable to submit his passport, and also tendered title deed of his sister as additional security and offered to be under house arrest and 24 hour state surveillance.
But magistrate Ndirowei denied him bail.
Jailed Zimbabwe ex-Foreign Affairs Minister Mzembi falls ill in prison
