Former cabinet, exiled minister Saviour Kasukuwere won a court battle after High Court judge Justice Benjamin Chikowero trashed Prosecutor General (PG) Kumbirai Hodzi’s application seeking to bar the former from getting title deeds of his Mutare holiday home which was held as surety after he failed to attend trial.
Justice Chikowero struck off the case from the urgent roll before he ordered Hodzi to pay costs of suit to Kasukuwere.
Kasukuwere was facing several criminal charges and was yet to stand trial when High Court Judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi dismissed all charges he was facing saying there was no incriminating evidence against him.
Following this, the High Court gave another ruling releasing with immediate effect title deeds to Kasukuwere’s property called Lot 4 of Subdivision D Manchester in the District of Umtali, Zimbabwe registered under 8010/2003 which was held as surety when he was granted bail.
The ruling came after PG Hodzi had applied for leave to appeal against Chitapi in the Supreme Court under case number SC550/19,with the application still pending at the Supreme court.
Hodzi then filed an urgent application saying he fears that the exiled Kasukuwere will dispose his property leaving him with no any other recourse in case he wins the Supreme Court challenge.
Tafadzwanashe Mupariwa from National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Prosecutor Zivanai Macharaga of the President’s Special Anti-Corruption Unit, who was handling Kasukuwere’s matter also supported Hodzi’s request saying Kasukuwere’s actions should never be tolerated.
They claimed Kasukuwere had already placed himself beyond the jurisdiction of the courts and that he demonstrated clear defiance of the laws of Zimbabwe.
Kasukuwere, who left the country on pretext he was going to seek medical attention for a heart related illness, leaving pending cases in courts was not being trusted by these two prosecutors who were fearing that from all intents and purposes he will avoid the prosecution of his matter and should the title deeds be released to him, he may choose to dispose of the property or deal with it in any manner that will prejudice the due administration of justice.
Kasukuwere never came back prompting Harare magistrate, Hosea Mujaya who was presiding over his case to order forfeiture of Kasukuwere’s holiday home.
The former Zanu PF political commissar was among former president, Robert Mugabe’s cabinet ministers to be arrested following the November 2017 coup that ushered President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
