HARARE – Zanu PF Bikita West legislator Munyaradzi Kereke’s frantically tried to diffuse rape charges against him soon after the incident — and roped in top government officials to obfuscate the whole saga, private prosecutor Charles Warara said yesterday.
Kereke is being charged with indecent assault and rape after he sexually molested his wife’s two nieces.
In court yesterday, Warara accused Kereke of having fought hard not to be prosecuted since 2010.
“I put it to you that you sought to diffuse the case from the start. Soon after realising that you had raped the complainant you summoned Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s director of Financial Intelligence Unit Mirirai Chiremba to meet you so that you could engage him on how you were going to back date the return of your gun,” Warara said.
“ . . . you then proceeded to your house and found one of the complainants and fabricated a ground that she had asked for money from you. You then went on to look for politicians to bring into this case among them David Butau, Webster Shamu, chiefs and former vice president Joice Mujuru.
“After all this, you had already planned to also rope in Gideon Gono and when you left Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) you stole documents that you brought to this case.
“ . . . at last you had your in-laws, wives and lawyers to fight prosecution. All this shows that you were lying before the court.”
However, Kereke refuted the claims saying he was only defending his constitutional rights.
“That is not true . . . I took an oath before giving my evidence in court and everything I have said is the truth,” was Kereke’s response to most of the questions.
Warara further claimed that after the rape incident Kereke’s in-laws came to Harare to negotiate with the minor’s guardians for an out-of-court settlement.
“Besides you going to the complainants’ guardians residents to negotiate the rape issue your wife had to summon her mother, your mother-in-law to come and negotiate on your behalf.”
Kereke has made sensational claims that Mujuru, Gono, Shamu and Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo contributed to fabricate rape charges against him to smear his political career.
He says Gono was bitter that he had exposed his ‘corrupt conduct’ during his tenure as Reserve Bank governor.
Kereke claimed that the complainants and their guardians were bitter that he had turned down their requests for money.
“The complainants had been out of school for months because their fees had not been paid.
“They called and sent text messages asking for $8 000 to cover fees and air tickets to United Kingdom where their mother resides but I turned them down.
“Shamu came to me demanding $2 000 saying he could help me manage the rape allegations but I reported the matter and he was trapped and the matter is even known by the highest office on the land.”-Dailynews
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