Zim 70 to face trial in July

THE alleged mercenaries being led to court recently

• Mugabe barters mercenaries for oil

• 'Mercenaries' planned jail escape

• 'Mercenary' plane seized in Zimbabwe

• Mugabe officials had deal with mercenaries

• South Africa, Zim trained mercenaries

By Cris Chinaka

ZIMBABWE state prosecutors said on Wednesday 70 suspected mercenaries detained on charges of plotting to topple the government of Equatorial Guinea would go on trial on July 19.

The men, all South African citizens, were arrested in March after their plane landed in Harare en route to what Zimbabwe officials said was a mission to oust President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.

The suspects have denied the charges, saying they were heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo to guard mining operations.

At a routine appearance at a maximum security prison complex on Wednesday, senior prosecutor Lawrence Phiri said the state would be ready to start the men's trial next month -- opening the door to a case which analysts say could be embarrassing for Harare as well.

"The accused should be remanded in custody to July 19, and that will be the trial date," he said.

"If we are ready to start earlier than that date we will inform the defence and the court," Phiri said.

Two weeks ago the detainees' Zimbabwean lawyer Jonathan Samkange said the state was reluctant to start the trial because it could not support charges against the men, which include contravening security, firearms, aviation and immigration laws.

Defence analysts said Zimbabwe may have also moved slowly on the case out of concern that a trial might reveal details of the men's bid to buy weapons illegally from Zimbabwe's state arms company, which has powerful political connections.

On Wednesday, however, Samkange said the defence was ready.

"Our position remains the same. There is no case and we are ready for the trial because it will prove our contention that the state has no strong case, especially those charges that they were on a mercenary mission," he told Reuters.

Defence lawyers say the men's detention is prejudicial since they face only fines if convicted.

Defence lawyers have also worried the men could be extradited to Equatorial Guinea where they could face the death sentence, which is outlawed by South Africa.

They say since the men are all South Africans, they should be tried in South Africa under laws to designed to curb a tradition of mercenary involvement.

But a South African court turned down a defence request to ask for the men's return to the country, and Pretoria has said it will not involve itself in the case.

In April, Obiang said he was in talks with Zimbabwe on possible extradition of the men to Equatorial Guinea, but President Robert Mugabe's government has not yet made any announcement.

State lawyers have said the charges could carry life imprisonment, but the defence says the maximum penalty would be a fine of 200,000 Zimbabwean dollars ($37.50) each.
Reuters
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com