Many, who were shocked about the development, described it
as yet another example of judicial capture by the Zanu PF-led government.
On Monday, Harare regional magistrate Taurai Manuwere ruled
that Wadyajena had no case to answer because the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption
Commission had failed to give enough evidence to prove his guilt.
Reacting to the ruling, some Zimbabweans expressed dismay
saying the judicial system was protecting the rich, while punishing the poor.
“This and all other cases involving the political elite
clearly shows how the Judiciary has become powerless against those with power.
If one compares this with how opposition and civil society activists are
treated, then you see how the Judiciary has been reduced to a partisan entity
that advances the interests of the ruling elite against the common good,”
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition chairperson Peter Mutasa said.
“The case of (Citizens Coalition for Change Zengeza West
MP) Job Sikhala, Zimbabwe’s latest political prisoner, shows how the law is
applied selectively. It is now a circus and the greatest loser is the
Judiciary, which has a lot to do to redeem itself from this commonly held view
of Zimbabweans that it is captured and partisan.”
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe leader Obert
Masaraure said: “I was shocked to learn that in the Wadyajena case, the courts
ruled that six months before trial was an unjustified delay. I have been on
remand for four years with no trial date. We have made over 40 applications of
refusal of further remand to no avail.
Masaraure added: “The courts have thrown out each one of
the applications we have made. The State keeps on asking for more time to
investigate. The allegations were that I posted subversive material on social
media. That’s not a complex case to investigate compared to Wadyajena’s
corruption case. In six months, Wadyajena, who is accused of corruption, is
removed from remand, but in four years, I remain on remand accused of posting
on social media.”
Political analyst Vivid Gwede said: “What stands out is not
this single case of Wadyajena per se, but its relation to comparable cases in
the same court system. The irony is, there are similar cases of opposition and
civil society activists where accused persons are being held in pre-trial
detention, or on lengthy remand on lesser allegations without evidence or at
least speedy prosecution. This is raising public concerns about the courts
treating people differently according to political affiliations. It is a
travesty of justice.” Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment