Court Reporter
The trial of a Russian man accused of using fake documents to apply for Zimbabwean passports was stalled on Monday after a Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS) doctor who examined him failed to explain to court what he meant by stable. The magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe had ordered that the doctor elaborate on what he meant by stable after it sparked debate between prosecution and defence counsels.The prosecutor Ms Francesca Mukumbiri insisted that Steven Paul Sugden (41) was fit to stand trial, while his lawyer Mr Admire Rubaya said he was not.
Ms Mukumbiri told the court that although she had read the doctor’s explanation, there was need for further clarification.
“He is speaking Hebrew like Jesus and he has to be specific and not write in parables. There is no need to visit the doctor, he needs to put it in writing,” she said.
Magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe postponed the matter to Monday.
Ms Mukumbiri suspects that Sugden is feigning illness to evade trial.



