FUGITIVE former Cabinet Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has two arrest warrants hanging over his head that were issued way before he expressed his intentions to contest for the presidency with police keen to question him, The Herald can report.
Kasukuwere has been desperate to portray his charges as political, but the fact of the matter is that two warrants of arrest were issued way back before he expressed his intentions to run for the highest office in the land.
On Wednesday, Kasukuwere was among 11 candidates that successfully filed their nomination papers to contest presidential elections on August 23.
He will stand as an independent candidate.
In interviews with the South African media where he is based, Kasukuwere sought to paint a picture of persecution by the Zimbabwe Government and alleged that he feared arrest on political grounds once he lands in the country to campaign ahead of elections.
However, The Herald can reveal that a warrant of arrest was issued on January 18, 2019 by retired Harare magistrate Mr Hosea Mujaya after the former Cabinet minister and key G40 figure in the late President Robert Mugabe’s Government, failed to appear for trial on four counts of criminal abuse of office.
Another was issued after Kasukuwere failed to resubmit his passport to the clerk of court during the agreed period.
The disgraced former Cabinet minister has been making feeble attempts to play the persecution card as he has been portraying his charges as politically motivated, but the fact of the matter is that he was issued with warrants of arrest after he skipped court proceedings and after he proved untrustworthy.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi told The Herald last night that police were in possession of two warrants which had not been cancelled.
“We have two warrants of arrest that have not been cancelled yet. The first warrant was issued by magistrate Mujaya on 18 January 2019 where he was facing criminal law charges under Section 174 (b) (a) of the criminal law code because he defaulted court under number CRB HarareR842/18.
“The second warrant is under 39/18, he was given his passport but failed to submit it back within the stipulated period so the police should execute these warrants they are currently in possession of and so far there are no indications that they have been cancelled,” he said.
In a separate interview, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Permanent Secretary Virginia Mabhiza said Kasukuwere should submit himself before the laws of Zimbabwe.
“When someone is issued with a warrant of arrest, they should submit before the law. What he should do is submit himself before the law and seek cancellation of the warrants. He has his lawyers, so they should advise him on what he should do. His submission to the law is standard procedure,” she said. Herald
