News / National
MDC lawyers warned
26 Jul 2019 at 08:39hrs | Views
MDC politicians who are lawyers have been cautioned from taking up cases of ZANU PF officials who are accused of corruption.
The warning from Zimbabweans on social media come at a time when the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday arrested Tourism Minister Prisca Mupfumira over criminal abuse office.
One social media user Tapiwa Duro said, "MDC lawyers be warned this time stay away from defending ZANU PF criminals in courts. Chamisa and others cannot fight corruption at Rallies only. Whilst defending protecting corruption in the courts."
Political analyst Fortune Mlalazi said while any accused person is entitled to legal representation of their choice it is not in the best interest of the suffering masses of Zimbabwe for the senior leadership of MDC to be seen representing the same ZANU PF officials accused of corruption.
"While we respect that every accused person has the right to legal representation of their choice, I would like us to be aware that people like Walter Mzembi are accused of corruption and it was Deputy Vice Chairperson Sikhala who took up the case.
"We once had Gono being a client of Vice President Biti and also of late Professor Ncube taking up Mphoko's battles with government. The masses out there are not so sophisticated that they see the difference between Biti the lawyer and Biti the politician. To them they are seeing a top opposition leader defending a man accused of corruption. And also the principle that one is innocent till proven guilty does not exist in the court of public opinion."
Constitutional lawyer Shephard Dube said the arrest of Mupfumira is: "an interesting development. The questions we should be asking ourselves are that which faction does she belong to and is her arrest a factional purge or Mnangagwa is beginning to walk the talk."
The warning from Zimbabweans on social media come at a time when the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday arrested Tourism Minister Prisca Mupfumira over criminal abuse office.
One social media user Tapiwa Duro said, "MDC lawyers be warned this time stay away from defending ZANU PF criminals in courts. Chamisa and others cannot fight corruption at Rallies only. Whilst defending protecting corruption in the courts."
Political analyst Fortune Mlalazi said while any accused person is entitled to legal representation of their choice it is not in the best interest of the suffering masses of Zimbabwe for the senior leadership of MDC to be seen representing the same ZANU PF officials accused of corruption.
"While we respect that every accused person has the right to legal representation of their choice, I would like us to be aware that people like Walter Mzembi are accused of corruption and it was Deputy Vice Chairperson Sikhala who took up the case.
"We once had Gono being a client of Vice President Biti and also of late Professor Ncube taking up Mphoko's battles with government. The masses out there are not so sophisticated that they see the difference between Biti the lawyer and Biti the politician. To them they are seeing a top opposition leader defending a man accused of corruption. And also the principle that one is innocent till proven guilty does not exist in the court of public opinion."
Constitutional lawyer Shephard Dube said the arrest of Mupfumira is: "an interesting development. The questions we should be asking ourselves are that which faction does she belong to and is her arrest a factional purge or Mnangagwa is beginning to walk the talk."
Source - Byo24News
