PROSECUTOR ACCUSES Member of Parliment Mark Kemakeza

A prosecutor has accused the member of Parliament for Gela Mark Kemakeza of trying to sabotage his trial after his lawyer suggested his trial date be rescheduled to November.

Robert Barry of the Director of Public Prosecutions opposed the rescheduling of the date on the 4th of October after Kemakeza's new lawyer, Mylin Bird, suggested the trial be rescheduled because she had only received instructions last night that she will appear for Mr Kemakeza.

Ms Bird of Crystal Lawyers replaced Billy Titiulu after his appointment as the new Attorney General.

She told the Court she has other matters booked for the date.

Ms Bird also said Mr Kemakeza has Government trips overseas scheduled for tomorrow and a second one on the eight of October.

However, the prosecution opposed the suggestions.

Mr Barry said Mr Kemakeza has wasted much time to find a new lawyer since Mr Titiulu was appointment as the new Attorney General a month ago.

Mr Barry told the Court that Mr Kemakeza has been charged for nearly a year and the trial had been set down for six months now.

Mr Barry said the rescheduling of the trial date can only be seen as trying to sabotage the trial after enormous efforts to organize it.

Principal Magistrate Mekeo Gauli then instructed Mr Kemakeza to appear on the day of his trial on the 4th of October and for the Counsel to produce copies of documents to prove that Kemakeza had travelled overseas after his first trip tomorrow.

The Gela MP is facing one count of official corruption, two counts of conversion and one count of abuse of office.

These were in relation to the use of public funds allocated for a fishing project in his constituency in 2007.


Source: SIBC Online