A Harare man accused of defrauding his ex-lover of US$28 000 after promising to sell her a residential stand has been granted bail by the magistrates court after the State consented to his release on the grounds that there were no compelling reasons to keep him behind bars.
Thomas Jemuse was granted US$300 bail by magistrate Isheunesu Matova on Wednesday after prosecutors consented to his application.
Jemuse denied ever entering into the alleged deal with his former lover, Amanda Fungisai Madzidzo (35), who works at a hair salon in Harare and said he suspected that the woman was trying to fix him for not marrying her.
Magistrate Sheunesu Matova ordered him to surrender his passport and report to the police once every week as part of the bail conditions.
Jemuse’s lawyer, Macpatrick Zinyakatira, said the allegations against his client were “baseless and malicious.”
“He will stand trial and he will prove his innocence in the face of such malevolent accusations,” Zvinyakatira said.
Jemuse was arrested last Thursday last week and kept in custody until his release despite the State admitting that there were no compelling reasons to warrant his continued detention.
Mandudzo reported her ex-lover to the police claiming that he duped her in September 2022 into believing that he had a residential stand measuring 500 square meters in Hogerty Hill, Borrowdale, Harare that was for sale.
She claimed that she did not verify the ownership of the stand because he trusted Jemuse whom he gave US$28 OOO after he promised to provide an agreement of sale, which he never delivered.
Jemuse argued that he never took any money from Madzudzo and that the charges were manufactured to fix him.
His lawyer said the fact that the State did not oppose bail showed that the case was weak.
“The State did not oppose bail on the ground that there were no compelling reasons to justify his continued detention,” Zinyakatira said.
“The magistrate requested that the State tender a written consent to the effect that Jemuse should be admitted on free bail. The State confirmed that its case was weak.
The magistrate then postponed the case to Monday for consideration of the consent.
“We appeared today in the morning and were told that the ruling would be ready in the afternoon.”
“In the afternoon, a different magistrate came and mentioned that Matova had attended to other administrative issues. She said she could not entertain the matter as the record was not before the court.”
The lawyer expressed displeasure in the delays that characterised the bail hearing.
