News / National
Kamambo ruling further deferred
10 Mar 2022 at 05:53hrs | Views
Judgment was postponed yesterday in the application by suspended Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) president Felton Kamambo for acquittal before being put on his defence on the charges of bringing Zifa councillors to vote him into office during the December 2018 elections.
Harare regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje postponed the trial to March 14 after the magistrate handling the matter, Mrs Bianca Makwande, was not available to deliver the judgment.
Kamambo applied for discharge at the close of the State case saying the State had failed to prove a case against him from the evidence it led from its own witnesses.
He also argued that there was no evidence to prove that the participants in the 2018 elections received bribes as alleged by the State although payments were made to reimburse expenses, which the State argues included inducements to vote to Kamambo.
If the March 14 judgment goes against him, Kamambo will be put on his defence to see if he can negate the State case.
Kamambo said that all witnesses denied ever receiving a bribe from him.
"The State called 12 voters who participated in 2018 election. At the close of the State case, the State indicated that it was abandoning all its other counts and was left with only 12 counts against the accused."
He argued that the 12 witnesses denied receiving bribes, inducements or gifts and so there was no evidence that they were bribed.
"The accused did not deny paying cash to the State witnesses, and the later did not deny receiving same. The issue is what was the payment for," he said, arguing that it was reimbursement of expenses.
Kamambo said he had no way of knowing how the people had voted since it was a secret vote and those who voted were voting on behalf of their members who had decided who they should support.
"The State failed to prove that any of the members or the principals made a report complaining that their agent did not honour the instructions that they had given him," he said.
Harare regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje postponed the trial to March 14 after the magistrate handling the matter, Mrs Bianca Makwande, was not available to deliver the judgment.
Kamambo applied for discharge at the close of the State case saying the State had failed to prove a case against him from the evidence it led from its own witnesses.
He also argued that there was no evidence to prove that the participants in the 2018 elections received bribes as alleged by the State although payments were made to reimburse expenses, which the State argues included inducements to vote to Kamambo.
If the March 14 judgment goes against him, Kamambo will be put on his defence to see if he can negate the State case.
Kamambo said that all witnesses denied ever receiving a bribe from him.
"The State called 12 voters who participated in 2018 election. At the close of the State case, the State indicated that it was abandoning all its other counts and was left with only 12 counts against the accused."
He argued that the 12 witnesses denied receiving bribes, inducements or gifts and so there was no evidence that they were bribed.
"The accused did not deny paying cash to the State witnesses, and the later did not deny receiving same. The issue is what was the payment for," he said, arguing that it was reimbursement of expenses.
Kamambo said he had no way of knowing how the people had voted since it was a secret vote and those who voted were voting on behalf of their members who had decided who they should support.
"The State failed to prove that any of the members or the principals made a report complaining that their agent did not honour the instructions that they had given him," he said.
Source - The Herald
