The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)treasurer-general and deputy Agriculture minister-designate, Senator Roy Bennett was yesterday summoned to appear at the Chipinge Magistrates’ Court on a nine year old charge that he hoarded maize. This has been seen by critics as frantic efforts by ZANU PF to prevent the politician from assuming his office in government as the terrorism trial teeters on verge of collapse.
Bennett was served with the papers as he was entering the High Court Wednesday, where he was standing trial on charges of banditry, insurgency and terrorism.
The papers, from the Attorney General's office, advised him to appear at the Chipinge Magistrates’ Court next Tuesday on charges that he breached the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Act in 2001 for hoarding 92 tonnes of maize. The maize was produce from his Charleswood Estate in Chimanimani.
At the High Court today, Justice Muchineripi Bhunu postponed judgement to May 10 in his long running terrorism trial. He also suspended his bail conditions to the same date.
Justice Bhunu also ruled that Sen. Bennett could access his passport from the Clerk of Court if he wanted to go on a business trip outside the country.
Bennett returned to Zimbabwe in January 2009 after spending nearly two years in exile in South Africa. The MDC's treasurer-general was arrested in February last year, accused of plotting against President Mugabe's government.
The charges were that he illegally possessed arms for the purposes of committing terrorism and banditry. Bennett denies the charges, which carry a possible death sentence.
On May 10, the High Court will make a decision whether he will be put on his defence over the charges.
Justice Bhunu will rule on an application for discharge lodged by the defence team at the close of the State case three weeks that the State had failed to establish a prima facie case that Bennett plotted to assassinate President Robert Mugabe in 2006.
The prosecution, led by Attorney General (AG) Johannes Tomana, has vehemently opposed the application for discharge insisting it had placed enough evidence before the court to prove that Bennett had a case to answer.
Tomana says the fact that Bennett fled to South Africa in 2006 showed that he had a case to answer.
But Bennett says he could not stomach going to prison again after he was sentenced to 12 months in jail for shoving the Justice minister in Parliament.In 2004 Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told Bennett in parliament his Charleswood Estate in Chimanimani would be taken by the government and resettled.
Chinamasa called Bennett's forefathers "thieves and murderers", saying he deserved to lose his farm after benefiting from a British colonial system that robbed black Zimbabweans of their land. In the heat of the argument, Bennett pushed the minister to the ground.
The MDC said Wednesday it viewed the latest charge on Hon Bennett as a contrived political plot to haunt him and prevent him from taking up his post as deputy minister of Agriculture.
Zimbabwe Reporter quoted an MDC official saying the latest charge on Bennett "is the height of persecution of a man whose only crime is that he is white and he is MDC."
Just last Friday, state security agents blocked Sen. Bennett and his wife, Heather from proceeding to Charleswood Estate despite being granted permission to collect his personal property including the remains of his father.
"Attorney-General Johannes Tomana has once again proved why he is an outstanding issue," the MDC spokesman said. "His blatant abuse of office to persecute an innocent man has reached ridiculous heights and there is no wonder why there is a national call for him to be investigated for abuse of office."
- Simbarashe Nembaware and Zimbabwe Reporter
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