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Zimbabwe's Elections 2013 - Index of Articles
Komichi
loses fifth bail attempt
Tendai Kamhungira, Daily News
October 10, 2013
http://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2013/10/10/komichi-loses-fifth-bail-attempt
MDC chief elections
officer, Morgen Komichi, has lost his fifth bail attempt after a
High Court judge ruled that he was facing a serious offence, which
might tempt him to abscond if freed.
Komichi was
arrested in July, accused of fraud and contravening the Electoral
Act.
This was after
he presented to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec), a ballot
paper that was allegedly picked from a dustbin at the Harare International
Conference Centre (HICC), the electoral body’s command centre.
His lawyer Alec
Muchadehama’s repeated attempts to have him freed on bail
has failed to succeed, after the courts dismissed the applications
for one reason or the other.
The Harare Magistrates’
Court has denied Komichi bail thrice, while the High Court has dismissed
the request twice.
On the latest
attempt, High Court judge Felistas Chatukuta said that the trial
magistrate Tendai Mahwe had not misdirected himself, and he is better
placed to determine Komichi’s bail.
Prosecutor Michael
Mugabe has so far led six witnesses in the case. Muchadehama claims
Zec failed to handle the
July election process, which led to the missing of some of the
ballot papers.
He claims witnesses’
evidence was rehearsed as it is identical, adding that their statements
provided to the police and evidence given in court were conflicting.
Allegations
are that on July 25 at HICC, Komichi approached Tendayi Pamire asking
to have an audience with Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau after
a ballot envelope was found in a rubbish bin outside the command
centre.
State alleges
that Komichi accused Zec of destroying ballot papers of members
of the uniformed forces who voted for the Morgan Tsvangirai-led
MDC.
According to
state papers, the envelope belonged to Constable Mugove Chiginya,
a police officer supposed to have voted for the MDC in the Southerton
Constituency.
The court heard
that Chiginya however, failed to vote during the special voting
period.
On July 28,
Komichi was arrested by the police at his Bluff Hill home in connection
with the retrieved ballot paper.
His trial continues
next Tuesday.
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