Zimbabwe says 'mercenaries' trial open to public

The alleged mercenaries arrived in this Boeing 727-100

Zimbabwe is determined to have 70 suspected mercenaries tried in a top-security prison where they are detained, but the trial would be open to the public, the country's chief prosecutor said today.

The men held on suspicion of plotting a coup in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea filed an urgent court application yesterday to have their case heard in an open formal court, but the appeal is still to be considered. Bharat Patel, acting attorney-general, told Zimbabwe's government-owned news agency ZIANA today the state wanted the suspected mercenaries to be tried in Harare's Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison for security reasons.

"We have no problems with members of the public and press attending, except we want the hearing to take place in prison," Patel was quoted as saying. However, defence lawyer Jonathan Samkange told Reuters the detained men wanted to appear in a "normal formal open court because that is part of ensuring the case is being dealt with in a normal and fair manner."

Regional defence analysts say the planned trial could raise embarrassing questions for the Zimbabwean government over the suspected mecenaries' reported bid to buy weapons illegally from the state.

The 70 accused - from South Africa, Angola, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and one from Zimbabwe - were arrested on March 7 after their US-registered Boeing 727 plane landed in Harare and was seized by Zimbabwean authorities.

The men say they were heading to Congo to guard mines. However, Zimbabwe maintains they were on a mission to oust Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the president of Equatorial Guinea, and has charged them with plotting to murder him and his bodyguards.

Samkange dismisses charges as fictional
Samkange has dismissed the coup charge as "fictional" and questioned whether it can be brought under Zimbabwean law.

The state has also charged the men under immigration and firearms laws over accusations their plane landed in Harare with a false declaration and that they intended to pick up weapons from the state-owned Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI).

Regional defence analysts say the planned trial of the suspects could raise embarrassing questions for the government over their reported bid to buy weapons illegally from the state.

Equatorial Guinea, sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil producer, says it has arrested 20 men it says were part of a plot funded by foreign powers and multinational firms to put an exiled opposition politician living in Spain in power. - Reuters