via Komichi trial deferred – DailyNews Live by Helen Kadirire 9 OCTOBER 2013
The trial of detained MDC chief elections officer, Morgen Komichi, has been postponed to October 15.
State prosecutor Michael Mugabe yesterday gave the court notice that he had travelled out of the country and would only be available next week.
The State has so far led six witnesses who can neither confirm nor deny that Komichi is responsible for allegedly opening the trashed ballot paper.
Komichi’s lawyer Alec Muchadehama has also suggested to some of the witnesses that their evidence is rehearsed as it is identical.
Muchadehama has also indicated to the court that the witness statements provided to the police and that given in court were conflicting.
Allegations are that on July 25 at HICC, Komichi approached Tendayi Pamire asking to have an audience with Justice Rita Makarau after he had found a ballot envelope in a rubbish bin outside the command centre.
Komichi alleged that Zec was destroying ballot papers of members of the uniformed forces who voted for the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC.
The said envelope that was picked by Komichi is alleged to have belonged to Constable Mugove Chiginya, a police officer supposed to have voted for the MDC in his Southerton Constituency.
The court heard that Chiginya however failed to vote during the special voting period and surrendered an SV2 form to his superiors to indicate that.
On July 26, Chiginya’s finger was examined using an ultra-violet light detector and no traces of voting ink were detected.
On July 28, Komichi was arrested by the police at his Bluff Hill home.
COMMENTS
“Oh, it’s all just too complicated for our feeble minds to descipher! Let’s just keep the chap in jail for now until we’re good and rested enough to put off dealing with this embarresment for a while longer. Perhaps by then people will have forgotten about the stolen election and we can get back to taking their money. Besides, I’m busy, I’m leaving for a foreign vacation next week and wouldn’t want this issue to get in the way of my enjoyment” – Government ala ZANU-PF!
Should Komichi suffer because State prosecutor Michael Mugabe derelect his duty? Thats a cheap shot from a worthless prosecutor.
Exactly! Mugabe does not seem to know the concept of innocent until proven guilty, and he seems to act as if the poor man’s general health and outlook do not count as much as his own.
Stop persecuting people who are not criminals. Release Komichi on bail now while the state prosecutor goes on holiday.
There is obviously no case here. The idea is to ensure that Komichi serves so much time in remand prison as punishment, that a not guilty verdict will only be academic. This is justice gone to the dogs.