KARIBA-BASED cleric Pastor Patrick Philip Mugadza is finally out on bail after spending two months behind bars on criminal nuisance charges after prophesying that President Robert Mugabe will die on October 17 this year.
by EVERSON MUSHAVA
Mugadza was released yesterday on $50 bail and ordered not to interfere with witnesses. The State had opposed bail arguing he had the propensity to commit similar offences.
His lawyer, Obey Shava from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights confirmed the development. “The conditions are that he pays $50 with the clerk of court and ordered not to interfere with witnesses,” he said.
Mugadza was arrested in January and the State has been persistently opposing bail until High Court Judge Justice Priscilla Chigumba ended his lengthy detention.
The Kariba pastor was denied bail at the magistrate court and advised to approach the High Court with the Prosecutor-General’s (PG) Office urging the later to deny the cleric bail on the basis that the he had a propensity to commit similar offences while on bail.
The cleric on Thursday appeared before Justice Chigumba appealing against the magistrates’ court decision to deny him bail pending his trial, which has now been set for March 30 this year.
Shava argued that Mugadza was a proper candidate for bail given that the State’s fears in denying him liberty were based on the wrong interpretation of the law.
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In his submission, Shava said the State did not deny that the offence for which his client was previously convicted of was, in fact, a first schedule offence.
But prosecutor Editor Mavuto said the magistrate court did not err in denying the cleric bail because he had a propensity to commit further offences.
The State alleged in the interview Mugadza committed an offence and insulted the Christian religion and African tradition by uttering words which are taboo by predicting someone’s death.
