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Komichi's lawyer says 90 special ballots went missing
05 Sep 2013 at 05:15hrs | Views
MDC-T chief elections officer Morgen Komichi's lawyer Alec Muchadehama, has said that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission gave people ballot papers on the streets, while other envelopes went missing.
Komichi is facing a charge of fraud and contravening the Electoral Act after he was allegedly found in possession of an envelope containing ballot papers belonging to a policeman, Constable Mugove Chiginya of Mbare, which he claimed to have picked in a dustbin at a city hotel.
Muchadehama was cross-examining ZEC deputy chief election officer Utoile Silaigwana.
He further said according to instructions from his client, about 90 envelopes could not be accounted for during a reconciliation process.
He said this suggests that the envelopes were being thrown away by those that were sorting out the papers, arguing that the envelope that was given to Komichi could have been part of the 90 that disappeared.
Komichi breached the electoral law when he opened ballot papers that did not belong to him, a Harare magistrate heard yesterday.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission deputy director of public relations Tendai Pamire said the envelope containing the ballot papers was not addressed to Komichi hence he was not allowed at law to open it.
Pamire said this while being cross-examined by Komichi's lawyer Alec Muchadehama. Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe postponed the trial to September 9.
Komichi is facing a charge of fraud and contravening the Electoral Act after he was allegedly found in possession of an envelope containing ballot papers belonging to a policeman, Constable Mugove Chiginya of Mbare, which he claimed to have picked in a dustbin at a city hotel.
Muchadehama was cross-examining ZEC deputy chief election officer Utoile Silaigwana.
He further said according to instructions from his client, about 90 envelopes could not be accounted for during a reconciliation process.
He said this suggests that the envelopes were being thrown away by those that were sorting out the papers, arguing that the envelope that was given to Komichi could have been part of the 90 that disappeared.
Komichi breached the electoral law when he opened ballot papers that did not belong to him, a Harare magistrate heard yesterday.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission deputy director of public relations Tendai Pamire said the envelope containing the ballot papers was not addressed to Komichi hence he was not allowed at law to open it.
Pamire said this while being cross-examined by Komichi's lawyer Alec Muchadehama. Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe postponed the trial to September 9.
Source - newsday herald
