Alleged mercenaries 'just pawns'

SOME of the alleged mercenaries being led to court

• 'Mercenary' trial nears end

• Judge to hand down judgements

• Ex-SAS officer pleads guilty to weapons charges

• Mann: A man in need of 'major clout'

• Zim 69 plead guilty to lesser charges

• SA in secret talks over Mann

• Zim 70 to face trial in July

• 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 Agencies

LAWYERS representing 70 suspected mercenaries held in Zimbabwe on charges of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea asked the court on Friday to acquit most of the men.

The men were arrested in March when their Boeing 727 landed in Harare to pick up a consignment of weapons, including rifles, grenades, rocket-launchers and mortars which Zimbabwe says were to be used to oust the regime in Equatorial Guinea.

Defence lawyer Jonathan Samkange said charges of "conspiracy to possess dangerous weapons" against 66 of the men should be dropped as the alleged soldiers of fortune knew nothing of the arms purchases in Harare.

"The charge is incompetent and therefore I ask that the accused be acquitted on that basis," said Samkange.

The detained group included three crew members, and three men on the ground who allegedly went to Harare International Airport to inspect the firearms to be purchased from Zimbabwe's state arms manufacturer.

The court has heard that the weapons were needed to guard diamond mines in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where most of men claim they were going to do security work after being recruited in South Africa.

They are accused of plotting to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema's 25-year regime in the small central African state of Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony.

However, some of the men have testified that they knew nothing about landing in Harare to pick up weapons, and Samkange said in closing arguments on Friday that they could therefore not be charged with conspiracy.

"In this case there is deafening silence as regards the form of agreement, and the court cannot therefore find any way of convicting these people," he added.

"I would ask this court to act judiciously and when it acts judiciously and in fairness to all parties, it has no option but to acquit the accused," said Samkange.

If convicted under Zimbabwe's Public Order and Security Act (POSA) the men could face a 10-year jail term.

The trial was adjourned until August 27.
AFP
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