adminthat President Mugabe should declare an election date and hold harmonised elections by July 31.
The plan to subvert the landmark ruling is outlined in the MDC-T’s “Strategic Election Litigation” document that was drawn up to sabotage the implementation of the Constitutional Court judgment.
President Mugabe has since proclaimed July 31 as the date Zimbabwe will hold the harmonised elections.
Fifteen lawyers drawn from MDC-T, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights; Scanlen and Holderness; Dube, Manikai and Hwacha Legal Practitioners; Mbidzo, Muchadehama and Makoni Legal Practitioners and Atherstone and Cook; and the Prime Minister’s Office met in the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Boardroom last week to brainstorm on the litigation plan.
In a press release yesterday, ZLHR said litigation was a right for every Zimbabwean who felt his or her right had been or is likely to be violated.
“Lawyers have a duty to provide professional services to assist this process, starting with confidential consultations with their clients to take instructions in a safe environment where the legal privilege is protected,” read the statement.
“These rights and protections must be respected, failing which lawyers will be within their rights to take appropriate legal action, including lodging of criminal complaints, to ensure such intimidation, harassment and interference comes to an end and integrity is restored to our profession and the administration of justice.”
However, the minutes of the meeting held in ZLHR boardroom shows that there were no clients but just a bunch of lawyers plotting subversion.
During the meeting, that was chaired by Mr Chris Mhike of Atherstone and Cook, a number of strategies were discussed and adopted, among them finding legal excuses to file frivolous and vexatious applications on political grounds to orchestrate an attack on the Judiciary.
By attacking the Constitutional Court judgment, the team also wanted to either block its implementation or force President Mugabe to disregard it, delay the announcement of an election date.
They also wanted Sadc to question the ruling. The Strategic Litigation Document, which is a clear attack on the bench, names specific judges that the group said were cause for concern to the success of their grand plan.
Notable MDC-T officials and those in the Prime Minister’s Ofifice include who attended the meeting included Eric Matinenga, Tendai Biti and Douglas Mwonzora; Ms Rose Zigomo (Prime Minister’s Office); Alex Magaisa (Prime Minister’s Office).
Online Reporter