HARARE, Zimbabwe - A Harare magistrate found former Zimbabwe Finance Minister Tendai Biti guilty of assaulting a Russian investor and businesswoman on Monday.

Rutendo Maraire

The case stemmed from an incident that occurred four years ago, where Biti allegedly assaulted Tatiana Aleshina, an associate of prominent Russian and property developer Kenny Sharpie.

Magistrate Vongai Guwuriro, in her judgment, stated that Biti "pointed a finger at the complainant shouting 'You, stupid stupid stupid Tatiana.'" She further emphasized the credibility of prosecution witnesses, stating: "The witnesses are credible witnesses and the court has no reason to doubt their testimonies."

Guwuriro acknowledged that some details, like the exact words used by Biti, might have been forgotten due to the time elapsed since the incident.

Biti's lawyer, Alec Muchadehama, expressed disagreement with the verdict and announced plans to appeal: "We contest the findings of the magistrate... and we are going to file an appeal to the High Court."

Muchadehama elaborated on the appeal, stating that it would challenge "both conviction and sentence." He noted that the sentence would be determined during the Tuesday court session scheduled for 10 AM.

Biti has consistently denied the allegations, arguing that they don't constitute a criminal offence.