Strike Forces Postponement Of Bennett's Trial

Harare - February 08, 2010 - The treason trial of MDC Treasurer General and Deputy Agriculture Minister-Designate Roy Bennett failed to take off Monday due to the on-going strike by civil servants.

“The matter has been postponed indefinitely until the strike is over. All matters at the High Court have to be recorded and the clerk of
court is not available. We don’t have a date when the trial can resume because of the strike,” said State lawyer Chris Mtangadura.

Both State and defence lawyers turned up at the High Court but were turned away by the presiding Judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu on the
basis that he had no supporting staff.

Justice Bhunu last week reserved his ruling on whether to allow defence lawyer Betrice Mtetwa to cross examine the State’s witness Precious Nyasha Matare using fake emails that were allegedly created by attorney general Johannes Tomana. This was after Justice Bhunu had accepted the contentious email communications allegedly made between State key witness Peter Michael Hitschmann and Bennett in the on-going treason trial.

But Mtetwa vehemently moved to challenge the emails being admitted in court arguing that they were “fake”. Mtetwa argued that they wanted to prove to the court that emails, that the State is relying on to nail Bennett of treason, could have been manufactured.