Biti convicted of assault after a four-year long trial
Magistate says his delaying tactics failed to work
Harare- Poltician and lawyer Tendai Biti has been convicted of assaulting businesswoman Tatiana Aleshina after a protracted trial that took four years, Express Mail Zim can report.
He appeared before Harare magistrate Vongai Guwiriro Monday and she said Biti’s delaying tactics by raising constitutional issues could not stand in the way of the wheels of justice.
“The accused’s strategy of raising constitutional issues on piecemeal has not worked,” she said.
Circumstances are that in 2020,Biti verbally assaulted Aleshina at the courtyard where she was a complainant in a legal battle with one of her clients .
She is in the property development business.
In passing her judgement. Guwuriro said the witnesses corroborated each other in material facts thus giving weight to Aleshina’s evidence.
“The accused cannot talk of perpetrators of assault who are in court,” said the magistrate in reference to Biti’s immaterial submissions.
She also made it clear that individuals cannot freely hurl insults at each other without consequences. The magistrate also noted that Aleshina was placed on medication following the incident. Witnesses corroborated that Biti indeed called Aleshina derogatory names and pointed a finger at her.
He will be back in court Tuesday for a pre-sentencing hearing.
