By Ziyah News Reporter
THE Harare High Court has on Wednesday, May 13, acquitted former Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi of criminal abuse of office and corruption charges.
Justice Benjamin Chikowero ruled that the State failed to prove that Mzembi had direct authority over the State assets in question or that he had committed any crime.
According to reports, the judge said administrative accountability for government inventory rests strictly with a ministry’s permanent secretary, not the minister.
The prosecution’s key witnesses also admitted they had no direct knowledge of how the assets were tracked.
The State prosecuted the former minister on two main corruption allegations.
Prosecutors alleged that Mzembi illegally disposed of 16 outdoor LED television screens worth US$800,000, part of a wider US$2 million procurement. The screens had been purchased for public viewing fan parks during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and were allegedly donated to religious organisations, including United Family International Church, PHD Ministries, and the Zion Christian Church, without Cabinet or Treasury approval.
The State also claimed that Mzembi mismanaged corporate sponsorship funds raised for the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly by depositing them into an unregistered trust account.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission first arrested Mzembi on January 5, 2018.
He appeared before the Harare Magistrates Court the following day and was initially granted bail.
Citing severe medical complications linked to advanced rectal cancer, Mzembi later left Zimbabwe for treatment in South Africa. After he failed to return for his ongoing trial, the court issued three warrants for his arrest. He subsequently remained in exile in South Africa, Eswatini, and Zambia for several years.
In June 2025, he was re-arrested at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport upon returning to Zimbabwe from Zambia. Police immediately detained him because of the outstanding 2018 warrants.
Magistrates repeatedly denied Mzembi bail, classifying him as a significant flight risk.
He ultimately spent 11 months in remand prison while his trial proceeded in the High Court.
On May 4, 2026, just over a week before the final judgment, Justice Chikowero granted Mzembi US$1,000 bail.
As part of his temporary release conditions, he was required to surrender his passport and remain within a 30-kilometre radius of the High Court.
Justice Chikowero ultimately cleared Mzembi of all criminal liability.