PMs ally sees politics behind trial: lawyer
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From: as on 29 Jul 2010 05:39 PM�s ally sees politics behind trial: lawyer http://www.zimonline.co.za by Own Corrrespondents Thursday 29 July 2010 HARARE � A top ally of Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is convinced that politics is driving a case of treason against him that has dragged on for months, his lawyer said on Wednesday. "He feels that this part of political prosecution. He is complaining about it," said Beatrice Mtetwa, the lawyer for Roy Bennett, a former white farmer and the treasurer of Tsvangirai�s MDC party. Bennett, the MDC�s nominee for deputy agriculture minister in the unity government with Mugabe�s ZANU PF, is accused of illegal possession of weapons of war and plotting to assassinate veteran President in case that has stoked tensions in the fragile Harare coalition. The High Court acquitted Bennett of treason last May. But the state after initially appearing to accept the ruling later filed an appeal in the Supreme Court requesting the top court to set aside Bennett�s acquittal and that the politician be placed on his defence. Speaking to reporters after Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku postponed indefinitely ruling on the appeal, Mtetwa said the deferred ruling on the matter to give him time to go through the bulky submissions made by both the state and defence. "The judgment has been postponed the matter indefinitely," Mtetwa said. "He (Chidyausiku) has indicated that since the record is very bulky it will take him long to come to a decision." The case against Bennett stems from allegations of a plot to topple Mugabe in 2006. The state alleges that Bennett gave money to gun dealer Peter Michael Hitschmann to buy weapons to be used to assassinate Mugabe. Prosecutors allege that Hitschmann implicated Bennett in 2006 when he was arrested after being found in possession of firearms � claims the gun- dealer has denied saying he was tortured into making confessions implicating the MDC politician during interrogation at a military barracks near the eastern border city of Mutare. The handling of Bennett�s case and Mugabe�s refusal to swear in the MDC treasurer as deputy agricultural minister until he is cleared of treason is one of the key issues at the center of a bitter dispute between the veteran leader and Tsvangirai, which has held back the Harare coalition government. � ZimOnline |