Biti given wholly suspended prison sentence, fined USD300
Lawyer Muchadehama says dissapointed but not surprised
Harare- A Harare magistrate Vimbai Guwuriro has Tuesday handed ex-finance minister Tendai Biti a wholly suspended prison sentence of 6 months and also ordered him to pay a US$300 fine for calling businesswoman Tatiana Aleshina “stupid” in 2020.
Guwuriro convicted Biti Monday after she found him guilty of assaulting Aleshina at the Harare Magistrates Court sometime in 2020.
The judgement came after close to four years of trial.
In her ruling, the magistrate said the witnesses corroborated with each other in material facts which strengthened the complainant’s evidence.
Guwuriro said it is not in dispute that the words were uttered on the day in question.
She said the incident happened a long time ago and the witnesses might not remember the exact words as they were said by Biti.
“The accused cannot talk of perpetrators of assault who are not before the court,” she ruled.
The Magistrate went on to say that a law that is in existence must be complied with.
“The accused’s strategy of raising constitutional issues on piecemeal has not paid him,” she said.
Biti during trial denied ever assaulting Aleshina.
