Bail hearing next week

Senior Court Reporter
The High Court will next week hear bail appeals by three former Air Zimbabwe bosses who are accused of swindling the carrier of millions of United States dollars in an aircraft insurance scam.
Former chief executives Peter Chikumba and Innocent Mavhunga, and ex-company secretary Grace Pfumbidzayi are charged with fraud and criminal abuse of duty as public officers.

They separately filed bail applications at the High Court, with Chikumba filing his papers on Thursday through his lawyer Mr Admire Rubaya.

Chikumba’s bail hearing has been set down for Monday.

Pfumbidzayi and Mavhunga through their lawyers Mr Andrew Muvirimi and Mr Ticharwa Garabga, respectively, filed bail applications yesterday.

Their matters will be heard on Tuesday.

The trio was on Tuesday denied bail by a Harare magistrate and has now approached the superior court for relief.

They were caught up in an alleged aircraft insurance scam that saw Air Zimbabwe losing €5 175 593 and US$502 748.

A Harare Magistrates’ Court dismissed their bail applications on the basis that they were likely to flee, considering the seriousness of the alleged crimes and the likely penalties in the event of conviction.

Chikumba’s lawyer, Mr Admire Rubaya, indicated to the High Court that the magistrate erred in dismissing the application on the basis that the alleged crimes were serious.

He argued that the seriousness of the allegations on their own did not militate against granting of bail to a suspect.

Mr Rubaya also stated that the State failed to prove the existence of a strong case against his client that might induce him to abscond if granted bail.

Mr Rubaya also argued that the court wrongly held that Chikumba was a flight risk when no evidence had been led to substantiate the claim.

On behalf of Pfumbidzayi, Mr Muvirimi said his client deserved bail and that there was no indication she would abscond trial.

He said Pfumbidzayi had more to gain in staying in Zimbabwe than leaving the country.

Mr Muvirimi said the State would not suffer any prejudice if Pfumbidzayi was released on bail.

Mr Garabga confirmed filing Mavhunga’s bail application at the High Court but refused to comment further.