A clerk of court yesterday rejected Minister of Health, Obadiah Moyo’s pile of cash, preferring electronic money as bail money. Moyo w...
A clerk of court yesterday rejected Minister of Health,
Obadiah Moyo’s pile of cash, preferring electronic money as bail money.
Moyo was released on $50 000 bail by chief magistrate
Munamato Mutevedzi after prosecutors gave their consent. The Standard reports
that Moyo’s aides were seen carrying a heavy box full of cash to pay for the
minister’s freedom. The clerk of court, however, preferred electronic payment
and the box was ferried back to Moyo’s vehicle.
Government officials allegedly put pressure on police to
release Moyo after his detention on Friday over the $60
million Covid-19 medical supply scandal amid fears his case will collapse due
to interference.
The were alleged attempts to take Moyo out of Harare’s
Rhodesville Police Station on Friday night as some unnamed government officials
wanted him to spend the night at home before his court appearance yesterday.
The minister was arrested in the evening by the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), but was only booked into the cells at 2am. He
only went into detention after his family brought a mattress and blankets. Moyo
only slept for about five hours before he was taken to Zacc offices at around
8am.
Moyo used his official vehicles to go the Harare
magistrates’ court. When he arrived at the courts, Moyo remained in his car for
close to three hours before his case started after lunch.
Prosecutors immediately consented to bail on condition that
he surrendered his passport, title deeds of a property in Eastlea in the name
of his wife Memory Moyo as surety and that he reports at Zacc offices three
times a week.
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