ROY BENNETT, a senior Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party politician accused of plotting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe’s previous regime, was yesterday acquitted of all charges against him by a Zimbabwe court.
The 53 year old is one of Zimbabwe prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s closest aides. Mr Bennett was earmarked for a ministerial position in the transitional government before weapons and insurgency charges relating to an arms find on a farm in the country in 2006 were levelled against him last year.
His MDC colleagues and supporters have always maintained the charges were trumped up. That they were in fact an attempt by members of Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party to undermine the country’s powersharing deal.
During the trial prosecutors presented a number of e-mails between the accused and arms dealer Peter Hitschmann, and a video in which the latter appeared to identify the weapons that were found, as their key evidence.
However, Judge Chinembiri Bhunu ruled that Mr Hitschmann’s video confession was inadmissible because he claimed in court he was tortured into making it.
“Having carefully considered the facts . . . The accused is accordingly found not guilty,” Judge Bhunu said.
Mr Bennett’s acquittal brings to an end an episode that has seriously strained relationships in the country’s government since it was formed on February 13th last year.
The former commercial farmer, who in the past has been one of Mr Mugabe’s harshest critics, was supposed to have been sworn in as the MDC’s deputy agriculture minister in the transitional government. However, hours before he was due to take up his post he was arrested.
Mr Tsvangirai had cited Bennett’s arrest as one of the reasons he withdrew from the powersharing deal for a three-week period last October.
“This is welcome. One hopes we will now move into an era of justice and rule of law,” Mr Bennett said outside the court.
Prosecutor Chris Mutangadura said the state would not appeal.
Mr Bennett’s acquittal could pave the way for him to be installed as the country’s deputy agriculture minister. “Now that the judge has said he has no case to ask Bennett, we feel the logical thing is to prepare his office,”said MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa.