HARARE - The state has summonsed prominent human rights lawyer Alec Muchadehama for trial on charges that he connived with court officials to have a group of political activists unlawfully released from jail. (Pictured: Prominent Human Rights Lawyer Alec Muchadehama)The development comes barely two weeks after a magistrate’s court declined to place Muchadehama on further remand on the same charges, citing lack of evidence to suggest the lawyer could have committed the alleged offence. But the court said the state could summons the lawyer for trial if evidence became available.
The order to appear in court issued on Tuesday indicated that Muchadehama, who is representing several members of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party facing charges ranging from banditry to terrorism, would be jointly charged with a Harare High Court clerk – Constance Gambara.
According to the summons, Muchadehama is to appear in the magistrates’ court
on July 28.
The court papers say that on April 17 this year, Muchadehama and Gambara connived to defy a court order by Justice Chinembiri Bhunu and unlawfully released MDC activists Kisimusi Dlamini, Gandhi Mudzingwa and freelance photographer Andrison Manyere from Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.
The state says Muchadehama and Gambara caused the release of the three MDC
activists when permission to appeal against their admission to bail by Justice Hungwe had been granted, thus by that act both the accused were in contempt of Justice Bhunu’s order.
The MDC activists that Muchadehama is said to have caused to be released from custody are out on bail and have appealed to the Supreme Court to have their case dismissed alleging that state security agents tortured them in order to extract evidence from them.
Post published in: Politics