Defence lawyer Lovemore Madhuku has vowed to appeal for bail at the High Court after his clients were denied bail on Monday. Madhuku is representing former Minister of Finance Ignatius Chombo and former Zanu-PF Youth League leader Kudzai Chipanga. Madhuku accused the two Magistrates who heard his client’s bail hearings of being biased against his clients. Chombo and Chipanga were denied bail on Monday by Harare Magistrates Elisha Singano and Josephine Sande respectively. Chombo was deemed a flight risk who needed to be incarcerated for his own safety while Chipanga’s live was deemed to be at risk if he was released from custody. The two were remanded to the 8th of December, 2017.
Speaking after the futile bail applications Madhuku said:
It is clear that the ruling both magistrates’ delivered was planned.
They both didn’t consider our submissions. The state said the accused would abscond, we said they will surrender their passports, title deeds and stay at their homes but they didn’t look at that.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will appeal against both rulings at the High Court and we expect our cases to be heard within 48 hours as stipulated by the constitution.
Chombo is facing charges of fraud, criminal abuse of office and contravening the Prevention of Corruption Act while Chipanga is facing charges of publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State or alternatively causing disaffection among the police force or defence forces. The charges arise from a statement which Chipanga read out on 14 November 2017 in which he allegedly denigrated the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and its Commander General Constantino Chiwenga.
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