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Sports Reporter
FORMER Zimbabwe Football Association education officer Brian Moyo was last Friday arrested on allegations of defaming the football mother body’s vice-president, Omega Sibanda.
Moyo, who was detained overnight at Queens Park Police Station, was, however, yesterday set free at the Tredgold Magistrates Courts after the intervention of his lawyer, Kucaca Phulu of Phulu and Ncube Legal Practitioners. Phulu highlighted to the prosecutor that his client was being charged for an offence that does not exist. Interestingly, the investigating officer had taken Moyo to court to apply for further detention, something Phulu described as careless conduct by the law enforcement agents.
“Brian Moyo was charged with a non-existent offence, the investigating officer was actually going to apply for a warrant of further detention. They couldn’t apply for this further detention, the prosecutor refused to entertain the police’s request. This is clearly negligent behaviour by the police. Any reasonable police officer should have known it, he should have not been detained,’’ Phulu said.
In February last year, the Constitutional Court outlawed criminal defamation which means that no one should be arrested on those charges as an aggrieved party can seek recourse at the civil courts.
Moyo’s arrest follows reports on Sibanda which circulated on social media at the beginning of the month with the Zifa VP telling journalists that he had opened a case with the police.
derick.khumalo