Fomer VP, Mphoko’s lawyer, Mr Zibusiso Ncube, has denied that his client was a fugitive, insisting that he was ready to stand trial. ...
Fomer VP, Mphoko’s lawyer, Mr Zibusiso Ncube, has denied that his client was a fugitive, insisting
that he was ready to stand trial.
He said the attempt by Zacc officers to arrest his client
was contrary to their initial agreement when the former VP was supposed to just
come and sign his warned and cautioned statement at Tredgold Building.
“My client is not a fugitive and he is actually prepared to
have his day in court. My client had indicated that he wanted to have his
warned and cautioned statement recorded at Tredgold Building where we then
agreed to meet,” he said.
Mr Ncube said his client later raised fears of abduction in
the event that they took him to the police station.
“If you look at the circumstances of the case, my client’s
fears of being abducted seem to be confirmed in the sense that on Friday an
official from Zacc called and I told him I was at a church camp meeting out of
Bulawayo. I told him that I would be back on Sunday and we agreed to meet on
Monday.
“I was then later disappointed to learn that they stormed
my client’s house and tried to arrest him contrary to what we had agreed on,”
he said.
Mr Ncube said on arrival at Tredgold Building, they were
accosted by two officials from Zacc.
“When I went to Tredgold with my client we were accosted by
two Zacc officials and they indicated to us that there was a change of plan and
that we were now supposed to go to Bulawayo Central Police Station, which was a
betrayal of sincerity,” he said.
Mr Ncube said he is now in the process of writing a letter
informing the Zacc chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo about what
transpired.
“I am working on a letter addressed to the Zacc chairperson
because social media is now awash with reports that my client is refusing to
co-operate, which is wrong. He simply wants his safety guaranteed and my client
is willing to be given a trial date depending on Zacc’s readiness,” he said.
Allegations against Mr Mphoko are that in 2016, while he
was still Vice President, he stormed Avondale Police Station to release former Zinara boss, Moses Juma.
Mphoko, during that time, threatened to beat junior police
officers at the station if they failed to comply with his demands.
Juma was later re-arrested and sentenced to two years in
prison after being convicted of abuse of office.
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