News / National
MDC-T senior official to spend Christmas, New Year in jail
13 Dec 2011 at 12:59hrs | Views
RELATIVES of incarcerated MDC-T youth assembly chairperson Solomon Madzore have expressed concern over his continued detention saying one would expect that to happen to a convicted person.
Madzore, who is facing charges of murdering a police officer in Glen View in May this year, has been in remand prison since the beginning of October. Twenty others were released on bail since May although they too are yet to be tried on murder charges. Madzore and seven others are still in prison and will spend the Christmas and New Year holidays in jail.
High Court Judge Justice Maria Zimba Dube last week dismissed Madzore's second bail application, ruling that the defence's evidence was compromised and there were no changed circumstances that warranted his release.
Madzore's lawyer, Gift Mtisi of Musendekwa and Mtisi Legal Practitioners said he will this week appeal against the denial of bail to the Supreme Court as his client is not a flight risk and is a good candidate for bail.
He said the defence had no complaints against prison officials regarding the treatment of the suspects. Madzore's earlier bid for freedom in October was denied for fear he might abscond, prompting him to lodge a second bail application offering to be confined to 24-hour house arrest until the matter was finalised, as part of stringent bail conditions.
He also offered to surrender his vehicle's registration book to the court while his brother Paul and MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora offered US$5 000 surety each to secure his release.
He pleaded with the court to allow him to complete his studies at the University of Zimbabwe but still lost the bid on grounds that these did not constitute changed circumstances as Madzore knew about them when he made his first bail application.
The judge agreed with the State that video evidence presented by Mwonzora to strengthen Madzore's case was doctored and could not add any value to the case.
The prosecution queried one incident which MDC said was recorded at a Chitungwiza rally saying it was compromised as it showed October 5 as the recording date yet the accused was already in jail.
Madzore and his fellow party members will next appear in court on January 9 2012.
Madzore, who is facing charges of murdering a police officer in Glen View in May this year, has been in remand prison since the beginning of October. Twenty others were released on bail since May although they too are yet to be tried on murder charges. Madzore and seven others are still in prison and will spend the Christmas and New Year holidays in jail.
High Court Judge Justice Maria Zimba Dube last week dismissed Madzore's second bail application, ruling that the defence's evidence was compromised and there were no changed circumstances that warranted his release.
Madzore's lawyer, Gift Mtisi of Musendekwa and Mtisi Legal Practitioners said he will this week appeal against the denial of bail to the Supreme Court as his client is not a flight risk and is a good candidate for bail.
He also offered to surrender his vehicle's registration book to the court while his brother Paul and MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora offered US$5 000 surety each to secure his release.
He pleaded with the court to allow him to complete his studies at the University of Zimbabwe but still lost the bid on grounds that these did not constitute changed circumstances as Madzore knew about them when he made his first bail application.
The judge agreed with the State that video evidence presented by Mwonzora to strengthen Madzore's case was doctored and could not add any value to the case.
The prosecution queried one incident which MDC said was recorded at a Chitungwiza rally saying it was compromised as it showed October 5 as the recording date yet the accused was already in jail.
Madzore and his fellow party members will next appear in court on January 9 2012.
Source - standard
