Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) deputy president Tendai Biti’s assault trial has been postponed to next month pending a High Court ruling on his appeal against regional magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti Guwuriro decision which deprived the former finance minister of his right to legal representation.
Biti is facing allegations of assaulting a Russian national and controversial Kenneth Raydon Sharpe owned Pokugara Properties employee Tatiana Aleshina.
Biti approached the High Court challenging Guwuriro’s 13 October 2021 ruling to proceed with trial despite the absence of his legal counsel Alec Muchadehama who was attending to another matter at the Master of High Court.
Guwuriro’s decision to proceed with trial deprived Biti of his right to legal representation forcing him to file a High Court appeal challenging the magistrate’s decision.
Justice Chitapi has since reserved judgement on the application.
Biti through his legal counsel Mitchel Mamimine sought postponement of the matter to the 20th of April 2022 after the State had set March 3 as trial date.
However, Mamimine argued that reserved judgements take long to be pronounced hence the need to have trial date set for April.
“Judgements reserved may take up to two weeks or even two years so it is in light to the effect that no one knows the date of which the High Court is going to deliver judgement, so it is in anticipation that judgement may take long that is why the April date has been proposed,” Mamimine submitted
Magistrate Muchuchuti Guwuriro ordered that the State and defense counsel agree on a date that is within a month and the parties agreed to have trial resume on March 29, 2022.
