Neville Mutsvangwa, the son of Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa and Women’s Affairs Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, has been denied bail by Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi on Monday. Neville has been accused of several criminal activities, including two counts of illicit foreign currency trading, money laundering, and violating the Telecommunications Act.
The accused, along with his co-accused Simbarashe Tichingana and Ellis Majachani, were all denied bail and would remain behind bars for an additional two weeks. They will reappear in court on May 30 for their routine remand as they await trial.
Magistrate Mangosi has criticized the state’s claims that Neville and his co-accused might interfere with witnesses, noting that such assertions were unsupported by evidence. This decision has been made despite the defense team’s argument that Neville has no previous criminal record and is not a flight risk.
The court’s decision has caused a stir in Zimbabwe, with some people questioning the fairness of the judicial system. Others have pointed out that the accused should be given a fair trial, and the court should not be influenced by their social status or political connections.
“On interference, it is insufficient for the state to make merely bold assertions without supporting evidence. Evidence was led from IO who submitted that they haven’t interfered with anyone; so the court will consider this not a valid reason,”
However, Mangosi acknowledged the state’s other arguments against granting bail.
“On absconding, the state has to consider the risks of absconding.
“Police details went to Mumba Money and seized some gadgets and articles where there is evidence of transfer of funds and in his defence the first accused person (Neville) says he has free funds and can buy staff for people who in turn pay him.
It was also added that when the police went to arrest Neville Mutsvangwa, they had to cut down his electric fence and search for him, only to find him hiding from the law officers. Also, being the child of a Minister, the court agreed that Neville has the connections and funds to be a flight risk as he can sustain a livelihood outside the country.
The court also ruled that the defence by the accused was invalid when it came to Mumba Money. This is because the company is not registered but it was taking payments from clients and dealing in foreign currency. With all this in mind, the court ruled in favour of denying Neville Mutsvangwa bail.
