UPDATED: Sikhala Absence From Prison, Court Explained
12 September 2020
Spread the love
By A Correspondent | The persecuted Zengeza MP Job Sikhala was reported missing Friday morning in an incident that got his family very worried for several hours.
Sikhala was due for his bail hearing at the High Court in the morning but past mid day his whereabouts could not be established.
Sources close to the respected MP told ZimEye they were in a panic. This went on for several hours.
At around 1.30pm his lawyer Harrison Nkomo told ZimEye authorities had finally produced him.
“I have been told he is now at court and I am now going there to see what is happening,” he said.
An hour later, Adv Nkomo explained saying the delay was due to a tyre puncture, according to the report he was given by prison authorities. Further details were not available.
Meanwhile, according to prison procedure, the investigating officer of an accused person is the only one allowed to take them out of prison and only for indications provided they are on remand specifically for further investigations. A court order is sought by the investigating officer to take a prisoner for indications and the prisoner has a right to demand that they can only go for indications in the presence of their lawyer; otherwise remand prisoners only leave prison to go to court with prison guards and not even the police.