Mugabe Son-in-law Acquitted Of Illegal Detention Of Former Zimbabwe Airways Employee Charges
19 September 2019
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The High Court has acquitted former President Robert Mugabe’s son-in-law, Simba Chikore, who was facing charges of unlawfully detaining Zimbabwe Airways former secretary Ms Bertha Zakeyo.


Chikore, who was being jointly charged with Simbarashe Mutimbe, had approached the High Court after his application for discharge at the close of the State’s case was dismissed by Harare magistrate Mrs Victoria Mashamba.

However, the ruling by the lower court was quashed by Justice Zhou, who acquitted Chikore.


Chikore’s lawyer, Mr Jonathan Samukange, on Tuesday appeared before Mrs Mashamba and tendered an order of the High Court, which stated that his client was found not guilty and acquitted. In the order, Justice Zhou stated that the magistrate made an error by not acquitting Chikore at the end of the State’s case since they was no evidence linking him to the alleged offence.


“Significantly, the State led no evidence of the applicant’s involvement in the complainant’s continued presence at the premises after the termination of her employment. The complainant’s evidence on the alleged instruction from the applicant was in admissible hearsay evidence and largely speculative and conjectural,” reads the order from Justice Zhou.


Justice Zhou said the persons who were allegedly instructed by the applicant to detain the complainant did not testify and that could have been the end of the matter for the learned magistrate in considering the application for discharge.


“The judgment by the first respondent in the case No. HREP 12660/18 dismissing the applicant’s application for discharge at the close of the case for the prosecution be and is hereby set aside and substituted by the following:


“The application for discharge at the close of the case for the prosecution is granted and the first accused is found not guilty and acquitted,” reads the order.


Facts were that Chikore, who was then Zimbabwe Airways boss, connived with Mutimbe, also employed by the airline, and unlawfully detained Ms Zakeyo for hours thereby depriving her of her freedom.State media