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Harare Bureau
POLICE yesterday arrested MDC-T deputy national chairman Morgen Komichi on allegations of misrepresenting to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that he had “picked up” from a dust bin a sealed tamper-proof envelope with special vote ballot papers at a local hotel.Mr Komichi is also accused of marking the ballot papers in favour of his party since investigations showed that the ballots were not marked by the voter and could not have been marked in the polling station as they do not bear the secret mark of the presiding officer of the polling station.

Addressing a press conference in Harare, chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said Komichi was assisting with investigations. “Following an official report from Zec to the ZRP regarding an allegedly lost special vote ballot paper which is said to have been found in a dust bin at HICC, the Zimbabwe Republic Police would like to confirm that Morgen Komichi is assisting police with investigations into this crucial matter,” she said.

Snr Asst Comm Charamba said Komichi is alleging that the envelope had been handed over to him by a person whom he could not disclose.
“As long as he refuses to disclose the identity of this person the police will hold him accountable therefore he becomes the prime suspect.

“According to Komichi, the said unnamed person allegedly informed him that he or she had picked up the envelope from a dustbin at the HICC where the special vote was being processed. Komichi further alleged that he had been informed that this was one of several such ‘lost’  envelopes,” she said.

She said this was an urgent and serious matter.
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said the force as the law enforcement agent in the country had a constitutional mandate to investigate the case.  “Our preliminary investigations have since established that the said police officer whose special ballot paper was allegedly found in the dust bin never cast his vote.

He was scientifically tested by Zec officials to this effect and a sworn affidavit statement has since been obtained from the police officer and the Zec official who conducted the ultraviolet light test,” she said.

Snr Asst Comm Charamba said Komichi or the said undisclosed person risk being charged under the Electoral Act Chapter 2:13, “Without due authority takes, opens or otherwise interferes with a ballot box or packet of ballot papers then in use for the purpose of the election.”

Meanwhile, at a press conference held in Harare yesterday, MDC-T organising secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa confirmed that Komichi was picked up at around 6am by police.

“He is actually being held at Harare Central Police Station as we are speaking. Mr Komichi was handed over evidence by way of a ballot of one of the many special ballots that were dumped in a dustbin at Harare International Conference Centre. “It is this evidence which was then tendered and forwarded to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to seek clarification in terms of this ballot paper and many others,” he said.