Zimbabwe vice president’s wife charged with his attempted murder

FILE PHOTO: President Emmerson Mnangagwa (L) and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga (R) greet supporters of his ZANU PF party at a rally in Murombedzi, Zimbabwe November 24, 2018./REUTERS

The wife of Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga was charged with trying to kill her husband when she appeared in court on Monday.

Prosecutors say Marry Mubaiwa tried to unplug Chiwenga’s life support tubes in a South African hospital in June.

Initially she was arrested on Saturday by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on charges of fraud, money laundering and breaching exchange control rules, and is accused of illegally transferring $900,000 to South Africa.

She denies all the accusations against her and her lawyer said she would seek bail at Zimbabwe’s High Court. She was denied bail for the initial charges after prosecutors argued she would flee the country or interfere with witnesses.

Prosecutors also told the court that Mubaiwa was being investigated for misusing U.S. dollar allowances meant for her husband’s security details.