By Mary Taruvinga
JAILED former Bikita West legislator, Munyaradzi Kereke has finally taken his freedom bid to the Supreme Court but feels that the private prosecutor, Charles Warara who successfully prosecuted his rape case will be an obstacle.
Kereke has petitioned Prosecutor General (PG) Kumbirai Hodzi to be removed as a private prosecutor in his case as he has taken his case to the Supreme Court where he is fighting for freedom.
Documents in possession of NewZimbabwe.com show that the convict believes that his arrest and conviction was politically motivated because of his ties with a Zanu PF faction, commonly referred to as Team Lacoste.
He has written a 12 paged document outlining his fears if Warara was still involved in his appeal.
“Mr Charles Warara’s continuation as private prosecutor in this case will defeat the ends of justice because he is a suspect for alleged sexual abuses of Tinashe and Nicole Taruvinga, the then minor children he now purports to be fighting for in the private prosecution,” said Kereke in a handwritten document.
“Accordingly, Warara is approaching the Supreme Court with dirty hands in what is clearly a self-leansing stunt. Please note that Mr Taruvinga Muswapadare, the children’s grandfather, tragically died before his alleged violence on the children.
“Warara cannot continue to stand as private prosecutor in this matter because he has openly revealed that he is nailing Kereke for political reasons,” reads part of the document.
Kereke went on to attach an annexure in which Warara wrote to the High Court telling the court to deny Kereke bail because he belongs to a political faction called Lacoste.
He said Warara said Kereke (Kereke) was friends “with the new leadership in government and must not be given liberty for that alleged reason.”
Kereke said Warara also lied that President Emmerson Mnangagwa was seeking to corruptly get Kereke out of prison yet there was no such thing.
He also claimed that Warara also untruthfully told the High Court that the country’s new government and ZPCS had illegally reduced Kereke’s prison sentence as well as corruptly re-classifying Kereke from D Class yet all of the allegations were totally baseless and unfounded.
Kereke said ZRP has since started investigating Warara’s conduct amounting to obstruction of justice.
“Under the above compelling circumstances, the ends of justice can only be protected by the PG taking over prosecution from Warara under the lawful provisions of Section 20 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act. Continuation of Warara in supreme Court appeal will amount to an unfair trial against appellant,” he said.
