By A Correspondent- Former Cabinet Minister Prisca Mupfumira, has been slapped with a warrant of arrest after the court learnt that she was in South Africa on official Parliamentary business without seeking the court’s approval.
While she travelled to South Africa on Parliamentary business, Harare regional magistrate Mrs Esthere Chivasa agreed with the prosecution request that a warrant of arrest be issued after noting that Mapfumire skipped her trial date without the leave of court, although the court had ordered the release of her diplomatic passport until June 9.
The court dismissed the defence argument that since the bail conditions were modified with the consent of the State, the visit was permitted and that it was in any case on Parliamentary business, accepting that she still needed the court to approve her absence from a court hearing and that in any case the legislature and the courts were different and independent branches of the State.
Mupfumira, through her lawyer Mr Admire Rubaya, last week successfully applied for the release of the passport and relaxed her reporting conditions during the time she will be in South Africa.
When the accused passport was released the court did not give her a leave to be absent, said Mrs Chivasa when she issued the warrant of arrest against Mupfumira.
This was after the State led by Mr Tafara Chirambira applied for a warrant of arrest against Mupfumira. Mr Rubaya opposed to the State’s application saying the State had consented to the release of the passport with the court ordering for the release of her diplomatic passport from the Clerk of Court.
The accused is being tried by Chief Magistrate Mr Munamato Mutevedzi and on that account, there is no trial that is ongoing in this court.
It is critical to highlight the circumstances surrounding the non-availability of the accused.
The accused made an application for alteration of conditions.
The acting current deputy Prosecutor General Micheal Reza consented to the application in view of the Cabinet Authority letter.