WASHINGTON DC —
The Supreme Court will on January 22 hear a case in which former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is appealing a ruling dismissing his attempt to compel the courts to force the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to provide him with materials used in the disputed July 31st election.
High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu had dismissed the case saying the materials and information demanded by Mr. Tsvangirai were massive, requiring the opening of more than 9,000 ballot boxes throughout the country.
He said, “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”.
One of Mr. Tsvangirai’s lawyers Alec Muchadehama said he has now been cited by the judge for contempt of court in the case with some of his colleagues.
President Robert Mugabe’s attorney, Terrence Hussein, dismissed Mr. Tsvangirai’s arguments as frivolous.
High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu had dismissed the case saying the materials and information demanded by Mr. Tsvangirai were massive, requiring the opening of more than 9,000 ballot boxes throughout the country.
He said, “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”.
One of Mr. Tsvangirai’s lawyers Alec Muchadehama said he has now been cited by the judge for contempt of court in the case with some of his colleagues.
President Robert Mugabe’s attorney, Terrence Hussein, dismissed Mr. Tsvangirai’s arguments as frivolous.