Ex-wife of Zimbabwe's vice-president freed after attempted murder case collapses
Marry Mubaiwa, former wife of Zimbabwe's vice-president Constantino Chiwenga, has been released after seven years in custody, with a magistrate citing the mental, physical and financial harm caused by the prolonged trial.
A court in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, on Tuesday released Marry Mubaiwa, the former wife of Zimbabwe's vice-president, Gen Constantino Chiwenga, from custody. She had spent seven years on remand while being tried on a charge of attempting to kill her husband. The ruling brings the long-running proceedings to a halt, though it is not yet clear whether the state will seek a fresh trial.
Mubaiwa was charged in 2019, after Chiwenga accused her of trying to impede his medical treatment in South Africa. She was accused of attempting to kill him while he was in hospital in Pretoria. The vice-president subsequently travelled to China for four months of treatment. Mubaiwa was remanded in custody, and her bail application was denied.
In ordering her release, the magistrate said Mubaiwa had suffered mental, physical and financial prejudice during the trial, according to the state-owned daily newspaper the Herald. The decision came after the state asked for the proceedings to be postponed by a month so that it could engage witnesses.
Mubaiwa's lawyer described the ruling as a victory that had arrived too late, because his client's rights had been violated by the delay. Speaking outside court, he added that if the state applied for a new trial, the defence would deal with it when the time came.
The New Zimbabwe news website reported that Mubaiwa celebrated her release outside the court, saying justice had been achieved and that she was proud of her lawyer.
In 2017, Chiwenga played a key role in the overthrow of then President Robert Mugabe.
