Three MDC officials who are facing a charge of publishing falsehoods prejudicial to the state and defeating course of justice have been denied bail and remanded in custody to June 26, 2020.
By Charles Laiton
The three officials, Joana Mamombe (27), Cecilia Chimbiri (31) and Netsai Marova (25) were on Friday last week remanded in custody when they appeared before Harare magistrate Bianca Makwande.
In denying the trio bail Makwande said chances were high that if granted bail, the suspects would abscond given the severity of punishment they are likely to face and above all a stiff custodial sentence may induce them to skip bail.
“The court is of the view that the State’s opposition of bail in respect of propensity to commit a similar offence is acceptable,” Makwande said.
Makwande again said, if proved by the video evidence that the three were free citizens at a time they were alleging to have been abducted, they would also be tempted to skip the jurisdiction of the country’s courts adding the issue of negative publicity against the country, which was caused by the alleged false abduction cannot be ignored.
After the dismissal of the trio’s bail, their lawyer Aleck Muchadehama gave notice to the State of his clients intention to challenge their placement on remand and further complained to the court that his clients were never given food since their detention last Friday.
It is the State’s case that the trio made headlines which were aimed at tarnishing the image of President Emmerson Mnangagwa led government by stage managing an abduction on May 13, 2020 after staging a demonstration in Warren Park suburb in Harare.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
However, the State alleges that Mamombe and her accomplices were instead captured on CCTV at Belgravia Shopping Centre in Harare at a time they are alleging to have been in custody of suspected state agents at an unknown place.
The state alleged that on the same day the three advised their legal practitioners and family members through telephone calls, text messages and WhatsApp messages that they had been arrested by the police at Showground roadblock and that they were at Harare Central police station.
But after verifications were made by the police following a report by their lawyers it was established that the report was false.
The State also alleges that the three ladies were seen by witnesses in Mamombe’s car in the capital at a time they were alleging to be captives.
