‘No room for irrelevant evidence in Biti trial’

Prosper Dembedza Herald Correspondent

Deputy Prosecutor-General Mr Michael Reza yesterday told the court during Tendai Biti’s trial, that he will never entertain anything that has to do with the complainant’s company or events that took place during the 2008 harmonised  elections.

Mr Reza said this while opposing Biti’s application for postponement of his assault matter to October 26.

Biti is facing charges of manhandling a Zimbabwean investor Mrs Tatiana Aleshina at the Magistrate Court.

Biti through his lawyer Mr Alec Muchadehama applied for the matter to be postponed to October 26 saying they needed time to organise their documentary exhibits in chronological order.

He also said due to electricity problems, his client could not put his house in order.

Mr Reza opposed the application saying it was just a tactic to annoy the court.

“Your worship,  the record before you has now grown old. We are now in the third month with the accused person making the same application.

“I am not going to respond to documents that talk about the complainant’s company  or events before 2020. I am not interested,” said Mr Reza.

Harare magistrate Mrs Vongai Muchuchuti granted the postponement of the matter to Friday saying  October 26 was too far given that Biti wanted only to put his documentary exhibits in chronological order.

The magistrate also said it is clear that Biti was not prioritising this case as he had the whole week to put his house in order.

During the previous sitting Mr Reza complained to the court that Biti was trying to smuggle in irrelevant evidence which has nothing to do with an assault matter

Biti brought in issues concerning the airport road construction and the contract between Augur Investments and the City of Harare which Mr Reza objected to as irrelevant in an assault matter.

“Your Worship, Augur Investments is not involved in this assault case therefore its agreements with the City of Harare have nothing to do with this matter. At my age, I thought I had heard everything until today where a 2020 assault case is referred back to irrelevant things that happened in the 20th century,” said Mr Reza.

He added that Biti’s application was meant to annoy the State or the court so that an application for recusal is made.