HARARE – Marry Chiwenga “externalised” US$1 million to South Africa and China and caused a magistrate to register a Chapter 5.11 marriage to Vice President Constantino Chiwenga without his consent, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) alleges.

The 38-year-old former model was seized from her Borrowdale home by investigators from the anti-graft body at 5PM on Saturday and detained at a police station in Harare.

An internal Zimbabwe Republic Police memo of her arrest and detention, seen by ZimLive, says she is being charged under exchange control regulations for “externalising” a large amount of foreign currency as well as fraud and misrepresentation.

“The allegations are that between October 2018 and May 2019, the accused externalised US$1,000,000 to China and South Africa,” the memo says.

“The accused also misrepresented to court officials that her husband had consented to a wedding ceremony when in truth and actual fact accused knew very well that her husband was bedridden and had not consented to it thereby causing the marriage registration to be processed to the prejudice of reputation of her husband.

“The accused is detained under ZACC REF RR98/11/19 and Rhodesville D/B 811/19 refers.”

Marry is accused of buying a house and two Range Rover SUVs in South Africa as Chiwenga battled for his life in a hospital in Pretoria.

The ZACC charges reveal for the first time how Marry allegedly approached the Judge President George Chiweshe and claimed Chiwenga wanted to get married under the Marriages Act (Chapter 5.11), which offers better protection to a surviving spouse than an unregistered customary marriage.

The ZACC charges reveal that the Acting Chief Magistrate Munacho Mutevedzi “processed” the marriage, although it’s unclear who signed the marriage certificate on behalf of Chiwenga who was battling suspected poisoning.

Marry was banned from visiting Chiwenga in July, shortly before he was flown to China to continue his treatment, following a furious hospital bedside row over her marriage demands. Reports at the time said security was called after Marry was allegedly seen remonstrating with Chiwenga, even pulling some tubes plugged to Chiwenga’s body.

Chiwenga called in lawyers following his return from China early this month to commence divorce proceedings against Marry, who has also engaged her own legal team to fight attempts by Chiwenga to evict her from the Borrowdale Brooke home they shared.

Following Marry’s arrest, Chiwenga is reported to have taken custody of their three children – two boys and a girl aged eight, seven and five. Two other children from Marry’s previous relationships were delivered to her mother, ZimLive understands.

Sources describe Marry as “very unwell”.

“Her hands and feet are swollen, there’s stuff seeping out of there. She’s very unwell,” a police source said.

Marry is expected to be presented before a court on Monday.

In recent public appearances, Marry has been seen covering up her hands and feet as she battles a mystery illness with the same symptoms as those experienced by Chiwenga before he was sent for treatment at a Chinese military hospital.

Chiwenga, then the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, married Marry, nee Mubaiwa, under traditional customs in 2011, months after divorcing his first wife, Jocelyn. Marry had also just forced her divorce from footballer Shingayi Kaondera, who is now suing her claiming she forged his signature on consent papers before a court grated the divorce. Kaondera is claiming $700,000 in damages from Marry.

Elders from the Mubaiwa and Chiwenga families met in Harare on Friday to discuss the collapse of the marriage, but the meeting ended in bad blood, sources said, after a combative Marry accused Chiwenga of being ungrateful and being a poor performer in bed.

Chiwenga had accused Marry of infidelity and suggested she wanted to see him dead in order to take over his vast estate.