White Zim MP arrested

HARARE – Zimbabwean police arrested a white lawmaker as he prepared to leave the country yesterday, a day after parliament recommended that he be given a one-year jail term for shoving a minister during a debate, his lawyer said.

Roy Bennett, one of three white MPs in the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), was arrested at Harare International Airport early Yesterday, lawyer Arnold Tsunga told AFP. Bennett’s arrest followed a recommendation by parliament on Wednesday that he be given a minimum of 12 months in prison for pushing Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa to the ground during a heated parliamentary debate in May.A special committee of the 150-member parliament voted in favour “of a custodial sentence of 15 months with labour, with three months suspended on condition of good behaviour.”Police said yesterday that Bennett has been slapped with a separate charge of attempting to thwart the course of justice.Bennett’s lawyer Tsunga said: “He was going to South Africa for a meeting.He was supposed to be back at 1:00 pm,” denying that the parliamentarian was trying to skip the country to avoid the recommended jail sentence.”If he wanted to run away, he would have run away a long time ago,” Tsunga said.Bennett is due to respond to the report in parliament on Thursday.Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena told AFP: “He’s going to remain in custody, but we’ll take him to parliament later in the day.We’re preparing a criminal case against him.”The committee described the parliamentary spat, which made international news, as “the worst attack on the dignity” of the Zimbabwean parliament.It rejected Bennett’s plea that he reacted to verbal abuse by Chinamasa, who had referred to Bennett’s ancestors in the former British colony as “thieves”.Under Zimbabwean law, parliament has the authority to sentence lawmakers to jail, although legal experts say it may infringe on the constitutional rights of Zimbabweans to receive a fair trial.Bennett’s lawyer said one of the reasons the lawmaker was going to South Africa was to seek legal counsel on his rights in the matter.- Nampa-AFPBennett’s arrest followed a recommendation by parliament on Wednesday that he be given a minimum of 12 months in prison for pushing Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa to the ground during a heated parliamentary debate in May.A special committee of the 150-member parliament voted in favour “of a custodial sentence of 15 months with labour, with three months suspended on condition of good behaviour.”Police said yesterday that Bennett has been slapped with a separate charge of attempting to thwart the course of justice.Bennett’s lawyer Tsunga said: “He was going to South Africa for a meeting.He was supposed to be back at 1:00 pm,” denying that the parliamentarian was trying to skip the country to avoid the recommended jail sentence.”If he wanted to run away, he would have run away a long time ago,” Tsunga said.Bennett is due to respond to the report in parliament on Thursday.Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena told AFP: “He’s going to remain in custody, but we’ll take him to parliament later in the day.We’re preparing a criminal case against him.”The committee described the parliamentary spat, which made international news, as “the worst attack on the dignity” of the Zimbabwean parliament.It rejected Bennett’s plea that he reacted to verbal abuse by Chinamasa, who had referred to Bennett’s ancestors in the former British colony as “thieves”.Under Zimbabwean law, parliament has the authority to sentence lawmakers to jail, although legal experts say it may infringe on the constitutional rights of Zimbabweans to receive a fair trial.Bennett’s lawyer said one of the reasons the lawmaker was going to South Africa was to seek legal counsel on his rights in the matter.- Nampa-AFP