WASHINGTON DC —
The Electoral Court says outgoing Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai failed to follow a number of procedures resulting in his election petition challenging President Robert Mugabe’s re-election in the recent July polls being dismissed Tuesday.
In his judgement that was released late Tuesday, Justice Chinembiri Bhunu said Mr. Tsvangirai did not file his case with a certificate of urgency. The judge also said it was impossible to reopen all the 900 ballot boxes that the MDC-T leader wanted opened to prove his case that the elections were rigged.
“It is preposterous and grossly unreasonable to suggest that such information and materials could be gathered and presented to the applicant within such a short space of time to beat the deadline even if the application was to succeed on the day of hearing,” he said.
Justice Bhunu expressed his reservations on what he called unwarranted attacks on the judiciary by Mr. Tsvangirai and his legal team adding that “time has now come to reign-in errant legal practitioners”.
He said, “It is ironic that having made those scathing disparaging remarks of and concerning the entire judiciary of this country, the applicant and his lawyers are now seeking justice before the same judiciary in which they have no confidence.”
Attorney General Johannes Tomana said he was going to determine whether mister tsvangirai’s lawyers from Donsa Nkomo and Mutangi legal practioners would be arrested.
Tomana could not be reached for comment Wednesday as his phone went unaswered.
For analysis we reached legal expert advocate Job Sibanda who said Tsvangirai could be arrested if his lawyers are charged with contempt of court over the same issue.
In his judgement that was released late Tuesday, Justice Chinembiri Bhunu said Mr. Tsvangirai did not file his case with a certificate of urgency. The judge also said it was impossible to reopen all the 900 ballot boxes that the MDC-T leader wanted opened to prove his case that the elections were rigged.
“It is preposterous and grossly unreasonable to suggest that such information and materials could be gathered and presented to the applicant within such a short space of time to beat the deadline even if the application was to succeed on the day of hearing,” he said.
Justice Bhunu expressed his reservations on what he called unwarranted attacks on the judiciary by Mr. Tsvangirai and his legal team adding that “time has now come to reign-in errant legal practitioners”.
He said, “It is ironic that having made those scathing disparaging remarks of and concerning the entire judiciary of this country, the applicant and his lawyers are now seeking justice before the same judiciary in which they have no confidence.”
Attorney General Johannes Tomana said he was going to determine whether mister tsvangirai’s lawyers from Donsa Nkomo and Mutangi legal practioners would be arrested.
Tomana could not be reached for comment Wednesday as his phone went unaswered.
For analysis we reached legal expert advocate Job Sibanda who said Tsvangirai could be arrested if his lawyers are charged with contempt of court over the same issue.
