Harare, June 17, 2025 (AFP)
A Zimbabwe court denied bail on Tuesday to ousted President Robert Mugabe's foreign minister, who was arrested at the airport on corruption charges as he returned from seven years abroad.
Walter Mzembi, foreign minister when Mugabe was removed in a military-backed coup in 2017, was arrested on Friday at Harare's international airport on 2018 graft charges for which he had been granted bail.
The allegations include that he stole $1.6 million in donations while tourism minister, prior to taking the foreign affairs portfolio.
His lawyer told the court that Mzembi had not been able to return to face trial because he was receiving medical treatment in South Africa.
In revoking the bail, magistrate Donald Ndirowei said: "It has not been proved that for all these years he was bedridden such that he could not travel to Zimbabwe to cancel his warrants of arrests."
The magistrate remanded Mzembi in custody until July 1 pending trial.
The 61-year-old was first arrested months after the coup that installed President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose government has moved to prosecute former Mugabe loyalists, mostly for alleged corruption.
After Mzembi told the courts in 2018 that he was battling stomach cancer, he was granted bail and left the country.

Sumber : AFP