Wedza Killings: Mozambique Refuses to Release Killer

Mozambican authorities have reportedly declined to release Wedza triple murder suspect Jaison Muvevi to Zimbabwean police detectives after they decided to prosecute him on gun charges.

Muvevi was found in possession of two guns when he was arrested by Mozambican police with the help of members of the public on Monday, 16 January.

Zimbabwean detectives led by Detective Chief Inspector Alexander Jachi from CID Homicide in Harare went over to Mozambique for a meeting with their counterparts but returned home empty-handed.

They were advised that Muvevi will be taken to a local court on charges of illegal possession of firearms.

A source at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) as said it could be months before Mozambique extradites Muvevi to Zimbabwe. Said the source:

“By deciding to prosecute the suspect on gun charges, we face a real possibility that he will first go on trial and if convicted serve a jail sentence in Mozambique. It could be many months or even years before we lay our hands on him.”

The two countries enjoy cordial relations and there’s a lot of cooperation in the area of security. It’s possible, for instance, that Muvevi can be sentenced in Mozambique and be handed over to Zimbabwe to serve his sentence here while being put on trial for crimes committed in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe is now expected to file an extradition request and wait for a response from Mozambique.