Biti seeks permanent stay of assault trial

Source: Biti seeks permanent stay of assault trial – NewsDay Zimbabwe

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
THE trial of Citizens Coalition for Change interim vice-president Tendai Biti, who allegedly verbally assaulted a Russian national Tatiana Aleshina at the Harare Magistrates Court in 2020, failed to kick off yesterday after he filed another application to stay the trial permanently.

This came two months after High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi dismissed his application for recusal of trial magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro  and prosecutor Michael Reza whom he accused of bias.

Biti has since appealed to the Supreme Court.

His lawyer Alec Muchadehama told Muchuchuti-Guwuriro that their appeal at the Supreme Court was pending and pleaded with the lower court to stay the trial until the upper court has made a ruling on the matter.

But the State opposed the application saying the trial should kick off.

Muchuchuti-Guwuriro postponed the matter to Thursday for ruling.

Aleshina had attended a court case involving building contractor George Katsimberis when she was allegedly verbally abused by Biti at the Harare Magistrates Court.  Biti was representing Katsimberis.