You Can’t Go Around Telling People They’re IDiots-Court To Biti

Tendai Biti, the former minister of finance in Zimbabwe’s Government Of National Unity (GNU) that ran the country between 2009 and 2013 is back in court today for the pre-sentence hearing in the case in which he was found guilty of verbally assaulting Tatiana Aleshina, a Russian businesswoman.

Aleshina is associated with Westprop Holdings and is engaged in a legal battle with Biti’s client, Georgios Katsimberis.

After a long trial, Biti was found guilty by Vongai Muchuchuti-Guwuriro, a regional magistrate in Harare. She declared that people cannot call others “idiots” and get away with it.

The leading Harare lawyer initially appeared before the court in 2020 and declined to enter a plea, claiming that the charge was flawed. Eventually, however, a not guilty plea was entered.

“Accused (Biti) appeared in court and refused to plead raising issues wrong with the charge but a plea of not guilty was entered.

“The history of the matter was that he excerpted to the charge in July 2020 saying the charge was defective saying there was no physical contact between him and Tatiana.

“He then made an application for referral to the constitutional court raising several issues and the application took a year narrating the various constitutional violations.

“The application was dismissed by this court and is still pending in the High Court, a second application was made before this court and an appeal is still pending.

“He further argued that the charge is too wide and too vague leaving it meaningless and basically  offends the principles of legality.

“It appears that despite the court’s rulings he wants this court to amend its own ruling on the constitutional issue, it’s mind boggling that he didn’t exercise his right for direct contact to the constitutional court.” said Muchucuti.