Two Zimbabwe ex-ministers face graft charges
January 6, 2018
Two former ministers who served under ex-president Robert Mugabe have been charged with corruption, their lawyers said on Saturday.
Former foreign minister Walter Mzembi and ex-energy minister Samuel Undenge appeared in court following their arrest on Friday.
Prosecutors accuse Undenge of issuing a $12,650 contract without due tender to a company that did not carry out the work, according to a charge sheet seen by news agency Reuters.
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Several ministers from Mugabe's government have been arrested in the past two months since a military coup forced the 93-year-old veteran leader to step down and end his 37-year reign in November.
Former finance minister Ignatious Chombo, ex-mines minister Walter Chidhakwa and ex-sports minister Makhosini Hlongwane are also facing corruption charges.
"We are going to make an application for an exception to the charge because the charges that my client is facing are ridiculous," Job Sikhala, Mzembi's lawyer, told reporters outside the court.
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Undenge's lawyer Alex Muchadehama described the case against his client as a "circus."
When the military took over in November last year, army general SB Moyo insisted that it was not a coup and said they were "only targeting criminals around [Mugabe]."
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Mzembi and Undenge were released on bail on Saturday and ordered to report to police once a week and hand over their passports. Mzembi was granted $400 bail while Undenge was given $300 bail.
Chombo is also on bail after being charged in November with trying to defraud the central bank over a decade ago. Chombo denies wrongdoing.
law/rc (AFP, Reuters)