Pascal Gwezere, the MDC transport manager facing trumped-up charges of stealing arms of war, is still in remand prison, despite the elapse of the seven-day appeal period by the State. The High court granted Gwezere bail a fortnight ago, but the State immediately invoked the draconian Section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, which meant he had to stay in remand for a further seven days. The latest edition of the MDC weekly newsletter Changing Times, said the seven days lapsed on Friday last week. But Gwezere is still detained at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. Prison officials are also denying him access to private doctors for treatment for injuries sustained after he was tortured by State security agents.
Meanwhile the MDC MP for Musikavanhu constituency in Manicaland province, Prosper Mutseyami, has been acquitted of assault charges.
An elated Mutseyami said it was a great relieve to be acquitted after spending almost a year on remand. Chipinge magistrate Samuel Zuze acquitted the MP on charges that stemmed from an incident at Machongwa business centre in Chimanimani on 21st February last year. He was being jointly charged with Watson Mumwocha, an MDC activist, for allegedly assaulting Hapson Musungo and Elisha Chikukwa. Mutseyami told us his lawyer Langton Mhungu, from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human rights, successfully applied for discharge as evidence against him was inadmissible because it was extracted through torture.According to my lawyer, the state failed dismally to advance anything, not even a simple case against me because the evidence obtained by the state was so unreliable that no reasonable court could act on it, Mutseyami said.
He added; Imagine we wasted our energies on a stupid, fictitious story that was invented by ZANU PF officials in Chipinge. The accusations were created by ZANU PF to humiliate me and the MDC as a party.
Post published in: News