Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (4) (5) Zimbabwe The court may— (a) call upon the prosecutor to present evidence on any aspect of the charge; and (b) with regard to sentence, hear any evidence, including evidence or a statement made by or on behalf of the accused. Where an accused has been convicted in terms of this section, the prosecutor and the court may, whether or not he gives evidence, question him with regard to sentence and, if the accused is represented by a legal practitioner, his legal representative may thereafter question him subject to the rules applicable to a party re-examining his own witness. 272. Procedure where there is doubt in relation to plea of guilty If the court, at any stage of the proceedings in terms of section two hundred and seventy-one and before sentence is passed— (a) is in doubt whether the accused is in law guilty of the offence to which he has pleaded guilty; or (b) is not satisfied that the accused has admitted or correctly admitted all the essential elements of the offence or all the acts or omissions on which the charge is based; or (c) is not satisfied that the accused has no valid defence to the charge; the court shall record a plea of not guilty and require the prosecution to proceed with the trial: Provided that any element or act or omission correctly admitted by the accused up to the stage at which the court records a plea of not guilty and which has been recorded in terms of subsection (3) of section two hundred and seventy-one shall be sufficient proof in any court of that element or act or omission. 273. Conviction on confession Any court which is trying any person on a charge of any offence may convict him of any offence with which he is charged by reason of a confession of that offence proved to have been made by him, although the confession is not confirmed by other evidence: Provided that the offence has, by competent evidence other than such confession, been proved to have been actually committed. 274. Sufficiency of proof of appointment to public office Any evidence which would, if credible, be considered in any criminal case depending in the Supreme Court of Judicature in England to be sufficient proof of the appointment of any person to any public office or of the authority of any person to act as a public officer shall, if credible, be deemed, in criminal cases in Zimbabwe, sufficient proof of such appointment or authority. H. Documentary evidence 275. Certified copies or extracts of documents admissible (1) When any book or other document is of such a public nature as to be admissible in evidence on its mere production from the proper custody, any copy thereof or extract therefrom shall be admissible in evidence in any court: Provided that such copy or extract shall not be admissible in evidence unless— (a) it is proved to be an examined copy or extract; or By Laws.Africa and contributors. Licensed under CC-BY. Share widely and freely. 108