By SARAH NCUBE
Published: August 3, 2009
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ZIMBABWE – HARARE – The MP for Chinhoyi, Hon. Stewart Garadhi, was arrested on Friday morning in Chinhoyi barely hours after the acquittal of another MDC Gutu East, MP Ransome Makamure, who was facing trumped-up corruption charges. The Zimbabwe Telegraph reports.
Garadhi was traveling from Harare to Chinhoyi when he was arrested by police officers from the Law and Order section who accused him of playing a song, Nharembozha alleging it denigrated President Robert Mugabe.
“There has been a systematic crackdown on MDC MPs, members and activists in recent months as Zanu PF and some government officials are bent on decimating the party majority in parliament and its structures,” said the MDC.
He is currently being detained at Chinhoyi police provincial headquarters.
Meanwhile, Hon. Makamure who was facing trumped-up charges of corruption on the same day acquitted by Magistrate William Bhila.
Bhila questioned the evidence submitted by one of the key witnesses, Brigadier General Douglas Nyikayaramba.
It was discovered during the trial that Nyikayaramba who is the chairman of the farming logistics sub-committee only advised MPs from Zanu PF on how the agricultural inputs scheme worked when they were given the inputs last year.
It also emerged that Nyikayaramba had threatened one of his subordinates Major Mapuranga who was also a witness in the trial for giving evidence that absolved Hon. Makamure of any wrongdoing.
The magistrate also questioned why the army was alleging that Hon. Makamure had committed the offence on 24 October 2009 but the army claimed that they only started the input scheme and the guidelines of distribution on 4 November 2009.
Several MDC MPs are appearing in court facing false allegations that they abused the inputs scheme and one MP, Hon. Ernest Mudavanhu, of Zaka North, has since been convicted and sentenced to 12 months in prison..
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