Biti Convicted Of Assault
Mrs Vongai Guwuriro, a Harare magistrate, condemned Tendai Biti yesterday after finding him guilty of assaulting entrepreneur and investor Mrs Tatiana Aleshina at Harare Magistrates Court in 2020.
The issue was postponed until today for mitigation.
The trial took four years to complete because Biti and his lawyer, Mr Alec Muchadehama, submitted many petitions.
In her decision, the magistrate stated that the witnesses supported each other in important facts, which bolstered the complainant’s case.
Mrs Guwuriro said unequivocally that the statements were spoken on the specified day. She said that the incident occurred a long time ago and that witnesses may not recall Biti’s precise statements.
“The accused cannot talk of perpetrators of assault who are not before the court,” the judge said.
The magistrate stated that existing laws must be followed.
Mrs. Guwuriro stated that what remains crucial is that Mrs. Aleshina went to Borrowdale Trauma Centre for treatment and medicine and was provided some medication while refusing admission.
“It is not in dispute that the accused and complainant had a verbal altercation on the day in question and the accused called the complainant a stupid idiot,” she went on to say. The occurrence was corroborated by all four witnesses, with the exception of the doctor.
The magistrate went on to say, “The State has proven that the accused uttered the words that he confirmed himself.” The accused’s method of addressing constitutional concerns gradually has not paid well.”
In his closing comments, Prosecutor Mr Michael Reza, who was prosecuting with Mr Tafara Chirambira, stated that Biti’s words while denigrating Mrs Aleshina were not anticipated of a lawyer of his seniority.
The prosecutors contended that Biti used derogatory language to characterize Mrs Aleshina.
“In court, he claimed that he had over 30 years of legal expertise and that he is a reputable lawyer. He used some of the most derogatory terms to disparage the complaint.
“Words which are not expected to be used by a lawyer of such seniority,” the State’s attorney general remarked.
He also noted that Biti’s attempt to portray himself as a knight in shining armour failed miserably when he revealed the true reasons he assaulted the complainant.
According to the State, Biti admitted to appearing in other courts to defend his clients who were in disagreement with Mrs Aleshina.
“Very clearly, he thoroughly disliked her personally because he identified her as a person who is standing between his clients and whatever it is that his clients hoped to achieve,” Mr. Reza said.
Also read: Tendai Biti Found Guilty Of Assault!
