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Farai Kuvirimirwa Court Reporter
The trial of Harare lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa continued yesterday with a State witness narrating how the lawyer tried to resist arrest and threatened to pee in the police vehicle taking her to a house along Bath Road in Belgravia.Under cross-examination by Mtetwa, Detective Assistant Inspector Wilfred Chibage said the lawyer blocked the police from arresting four MDC-T officials Thabani Mpofu, Felix Matsinde, Mehluli Tshuma and Warship Dumba accused of compiling “dockets” against Government officials.
He testified that Mtetwa blocked the police at Mpofu’s residence so as to give sufficient time to remove evidence, which included computers that were crucial to the case of the MDC-T officials.
“I was part of the investigating team and nobody requested for a search warrant and an inventory for documents that were recovered from Mpofu’s residence. She obstructed us from doing our duty and I was at the vehicle at the crime scene and not physically searching,” said Detective Asst Insp Chibage.
“Mpofu was in the hands of the police who were also taking recovered items to the vehicle. We were searching all articles of criminal use. She closed the gate when I was taking the exhibits in the police vehicle. She did not get to the vehicle physically but she obstructed us.”
Mtetwa, he said, obstructed the police from the time she arrived at Mpofu’s residence until they reached 14 Bath Road where she raised false allegations of indecent assault against the arresting details.
“Police officers arrived two hours later at 14 Bath Road than scheduled and items they wanted to recover had been removed hurriedly. She refused to be searched and wrestled the police officers, jumped up and down in the police vehicle.
“She shouted obscenities and threatened peeing in the police vehicle. That was obstruction. She delayed us so that by the time we arrive all computers would be removed,” he said.
Mtetwa suggested to the witness that police officers from the Law and Order department went on to inquire from the Law Society about her professional conduct.
“They went to the Immigration Department regarding my immigration status before going to the High Court to ask about my marital status,” Mtetwa told the court.
Mr Tawanda Zvekare of the Attorney General’s office argued that Mtetwa was tabling her arguments to divert attention from the case before the courts.
The trial continues today.
Online Reporter