Lawyers, accused behind delays in some court cases – PG

Harare (New Ziana)-The delay of court cases involving some influential people are not always caused by prosecutors, but lawyers and accused persons themselves asking for more time, an official has said.

Prosecutor General (PG) Loyce Matanda-Moyo said this while addressing prosecutors attending a workshop on fair trial rights which the Raoul Wallenberg Human Rights Institute hosted in the capital on Monday.

Matanda- Moyo said some of the accused persons seek postponements through their lawyers to avoid appearing in court and being sentenced.

“The Prosecutor General’s Office is not compromised anywhere. When we are dealing with the criminal investigations it is not only the PG’s office which is involved, we do have private lawyers. Those who are facing criminal charges before the courts, especially in relation to political violence, they do not want to go into courts, they are always asking for postponements. The postponements that you find are not all as a result of the PGs office, some of the delays are actually occasioned by the lawyers who are representing the accused persons,” she said.

Matanda- Moyo said the country’s prosecutions are impartial and are done without considering someone’s social or political standing.

“The NPAZ is blind to political standing, race, tribe or religion and knows no discrimination,” she said.

She urged the public not to pay bribes to prosecutors in return for lenient sentences or bail as they will be contributing to corruption and also violating the rights of victims.

Speaking at the same event, Swedish ambassador to Zimbabwe Per Lindgärde said all citizens should be equally treated before the law including the right to a fair trial.

“If one is accused of a crime, one has the right to a fair trial to determine whether he or she is innocent, this is an internationally recognized human right. Excessively long proceedings are a problem of many countries,” he said.

New Ziana