Former legislator Munyaradzi Kereke has accused Supreme Court judge Justice George Chiweshe of demanding money and a gold-mining stake in exchange for help in overturning his rape conviction.
The explosive allegations have now landed before the High Court, with Chiweshe seeking an urgent order to stop a Judicial Service Commission disciplinary hearing scheduled for Wednesday, arguing that the inquiry has expanded beyond the mandate given to it by Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza.
Kereke, a former Bikita West legislator, lodged the complaint against Chiweshe in June, accusing the judge of gross misconduct and abuse of office during the period when his criminal appeal was pending.
The allegations are particularly explosive because Chiweshe was one of three Supreme Court judges who ultimately dismissed Kereke’s appeal against his rape conviction and sentence in May 2024. Kereke completed his effective 10-year prison term in January this year.
According to court papers, Kereke alleges that Chiweshe told him that he and fellow appeal judges Tendai Uchena and Samuel Kudya had concluded that his conviction was wrongful, but wanted to be paid to help him.
“Justices of Appeal Tendai Uchena, Samuel Kudya and myself we have looked at your appeal and have all agreed… that your conviction by the lower courts was wrongful,” Kereke alleges Chiweshe told him.
“But my colleagues and I we are saying to you Kereke what are you going to do for us so we take you off the hook?”
Kereke further alleges that Chiweshe arranged for a Mercedes-Benz to be delivered to his home and instructed him to sell it for US$25,000, with the proceeds allegedly being passed to the judge.
He claims a further US$4,000 was handed over during meetings and that he was subsequently asked to facilitate the registration of a gold mine in a special-purpose company and provide US$20,000 for each of the three judges.
Chiweshe, however, is challenging the disciplinary proceedings, insisting that he is not seeking immunity from accountability but wants the process confined to the allegations lawfully referred to the disciplinary committee.
“I seek no immunity from disciplinary accountability and invite no finding on Dr Munyaradzi Kereke’s credibility or the merits,” Chiweshe says in his founding affidavit.
“I seek a complete preservative order so that this court can decide whether the presently notified inquiry has lawful subject matter and a fair timetable before the respondents consummate the impugned process.”
The judge accepts that a 2022 vehicle sale, discussions about a possible gold claim and company documents existed, but denies bribery, extortion, a corrupt purpose or conspiracy.
The disciplinary hearing was initially confined to four allegations involving a motor vehicle transaction, requests for or receipt of money, company documents and discussions concerning a gold-mining interest.
But Chiweshe says the JSC subsequently added allegations concerning his alleged handling of Kereke’s passport and alleged interactions with Kereke’s wives.
His lawyers argue that these were not merely additional particulars but new allegations requiring a fresh referral by the Chief Justice.
The judge is also challenging the seven-day period he was given to respond to the expanded allegations, saying the period was unreasonable given the volume of documents and the age of some of the accusations.
The JSC, through its secretariat, said the September 9 hearing was intended initially to deal with preliminary and procedural issues, including timelines and rules, and that his request for an extension would be considered at the hearing.
But Chiweshe wants the disciplinary process halted pending determination of his court challenge.
Kereke’s allegations have placed the judiciary under intense scrutiny, although none of the accusations against Chiweshe has been tested in court.
Kereke’s own history has also become central to the explosive dispute. He was convicted in 2016 of raping his minor niece and sentenced to 14 years, with four years suspended, before the sentence effectively became 10 years. His appeals failed, culminating in the Supreme Court’s dismissal of his appeal in 2024.
The former legislator was also previously an adviser to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and has faced other legal troubles, including a ZACC fraud case.
The latest court battle therefore pits a former lawmaker and convicted rapist against one of the judges who sat on the bench that upheld his conviction, with the allegations now threatening to trigger a wider examination of judicial conduct.
The matter is pending.
) Single women are waiting for you on — https://reurl.cc/OQVQdr