By Staff Reporter
Former Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi has been acquitted on charges of abusing his office after the High Court ruled that the State failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court ruled that the state failed to establish a sufficient case against him. The judgment follows a long-running legal battle over allegations that he unlawfully disposed of US$2 million worth of outdoor LED television screens.
The state accused Mzembi of illegally donating 16 high-value LED screens—originally purchased for public viewing during the 2010 FIFA World Cup—to various private church ministries without treasury approval.
Mzembi’s legal team successfully argued that the donations were part of a government policy to promote “religious tourism” and had been authorized by late President Robert Mugabe and former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The defense also demonstrated that criminal or administrative liability for government assets rested with the ministry’s permanent secretary as the accounting officer, rather than the minister.
The High Court cleared Mzembi after determining that the prosecution’s evidence was insufficient to prove criminal liability.
