News / National
ConCourt clears Justice Hungwe, orders sentencing of murderer
02 Oct 2014 at 08:12hrs | Views
High Court judge Justice Charles Hungwe, who had been accused of "sitting" on a 10-year old murder case, was yesterday absolved of any wrongdoing after the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) dismissed an application for permanent stay of prosecution filed by the leader of the now defunct Jerusalem Apostolic Faith Church, Jonathan Mutsinze.
The Concourt full bench led by Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku said Mutsinze's application to be released from prison on the basis that his murder case had taken long without being completed, had no merit.
Chief Justice Chidyausiku remitted Mutsinze's murder case back to Justice Hungwe, who is expected to reconstruct the court record and proceed to sentence him accordingly.
The court also ordered that Justice Hungwe should proceed to give his reasons for conviction and his findings on the extenuating circumstances, for which submissions would be presented by both the State and the defence before Mutsinze is sentenced.
Mutsinze is accused of murdering Lesmore Kange and Willis Konje during a robbery sometime in 1998.
During the previous hearing, the ConCourt heard that before the court record went missing, Mutsinze had pleaded guilty to a count of robbery and murder.
The Concourt full bench led by Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku said Mutsinze's application to be released from prison on the basis that his murder case had taken long without being completed, had no merit.
Chief Justice Chidyausiku remitted Mutsinze's murder case back to Justice Hungwe, who is expected to reconstruct the court record and proceed to sentence him accordingly.
Mutsinze is accused of murdering Lesmore Kange and Willis Konje during a robbery sometime in 1998.
During the previous hearing, the ConCourt heard that before the court record went missing, Mutsinze had pleaded guilty to a count of robbery and murder.
Source - Newsday
