A Zimbabwean coroner has turned down an appeal by the family of a late former army general to have his remains exhumed for re-examination by an independent pathologist.
The family of the late Solomon Mujuru, who died in a mysterious fire last year, told an inquest into his death that they felt the initial pathologist had done a shoddy job.
An inquest into Mujuru's death ended on Monday, but there are no indications as to what really happened the night the retired army general died.
Presiding magistrate, Walter Chikwana said the application filed by family lawyer, Thakor Kewada was tantamount to arm-twisting him to violate the Inquest Act, which does not empower his court to grant such an order.
Chikwana said such powers rested with the Home Affairs ministry.
The coroner accused Kewada of violating provisions of the Inquest rules, which state that "no person shall be allowed to address the magistrate as to the facts".
"The role of a lawyer is simply to assist the court to come out with a more conclusive outcome and not to analyse facts brought in by other witnesses," Chikwana charged. "It is not the responsibility of the court to make orders in the manner requested by Kewada.
"To do so is acting outside the ambit of the Inquest Act. In light of this I am dismissing your request."
It is not the responsibility of the court to make orders
Last Friday Kewada lodged an application asking Chikwanha to order that Mujuru's remains be exhumed, so that a professional autopsy can be conducted.
This came after Reggie Perumal, a South African forensic scientist hired by the Mujuru family, raised doubts about the autopsy conducted by Cuban pathologist, Gabriel Gonzales Alvero.
Perumal said Alvero had not used the appropriate tools. He also queried why Alvero did the autopsy when he is not registered in Zimbabwe on the medical practitioners list.
Alvero could not testify at the inquest, as he had to seek clearance from the Cuban government first.
During the inquest hearings, Kewada repeatedly told the court there were unanswered questions on how Mujuru's remains were identified as well as the establishment of the cause of death at his Alamein Farm last August.
A total of 39 witnesses were brought in during the trial, some who contradicted each other's evidence.
Vice President Joice Mujuru, the late general's widow, was the 39th and last witness to testify. As expected, she did not take the stand but entered a sworn affidavit.
Mujuru, in a written statement to the inquest described the response by fire fighters at the general's farmhouse as "totally ineffective".
The fire department told the court earlier the tanks of all its fire trucks leaked water.
Emergency services have suffered severe shortages of equipment and spare parts in the nation's decade-long economic crisis.
Police, in the VIP protection unit, guarding the farm said their radio equipment was broken, and they did not have credit on their mobile phones to make the they had no airtime in their cell phones to make the calls, while police at the nearby Beatrice police station had no vehicle to attend to the scene. Police and forensic experts who testified during the inquest said they could not establish the source of the fire.
A pathologist who took the stand last week admitted the equipment provided to him to carry out a post-mortem fell before professional standards.
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Inquest into death of Zimbabwe general opens
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Zimbabwe ex-army boss Solomon Mujuru dies in fire
