Marconati’s bail plea shot down, judge says community would riot

That sketchy Marondera businessman, Francesco Marconati, just lost his bail appeal. The Bulawayo High Court shot it down, agreeing with an Inyathi magistrate that he should stay locked up until his trial for having an illegal firearm. Judge Ngoni Nduna dismissed the appeal, backing the lower court's opinion that letting him out would cause shock and outrage locally due to his apparent habit of committing crimes.

His lawyers tried to argue the state had no real reason to keep him detained, claiming the charges related to old accusations where he was found not guilty. They pushed a narrative about him being a long-term resident with no convictions who provides jobs, even offering to surrender his Italian passport. They also brought up some unspecified medical condition. The court was not buying any of it.

This guy is no stranger to courtrooms. He has a history that includes a conviction for fraud and forgery, a sentence for stealing trust property, and he once had to do community service for threatening an ex-lover, a sentence he allegedly made his employees complete for him. He still has other pending cases for waving guns around recklessly. With that kind of resume, the judges clearly felt the community in Inyathi would be better off with him behind bars while awaiting trial.