/ 5 February 2003

UK ‘put up £6m to oust Mugabe’

A self-avowed former Israeli spy claimed in a Harare courtroom yesterday that the Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai plotted a coup to depose Robert Mugabe — backed by £6-million (about R84-million) from the British government.

Ari Ben Menashe, a political consultant based in Canada who claims to be a former Israeli intelligence agent, testified that the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had asked him to assassinate Mugabe and carry out a coup.

At their first meeting, at the Hilton Hotel at Heathrow airport, Ben Menashe alleged that Tsvangirai told him: ”Mugabe will not leave office unless he is carried out in coffin… he has to be killed, it has to look like an accident and nothing to do with the MDC.”

He claimed that Tsvangirai and his associates took out a $500 000 contract for the assassination.

Ben Menashe, the state’s star witness, alleged that Tsvangirai said that when he became president he would give Ben Menashe’s firm contracts worth around £20-million.

The consultant said he set up an operation to secretly record video evidence against Tsvangirai and two other senior MDC officials, secretary-general Welshman Ncube and Renson Gasela, an MP. He claims that it was only later that he was hired by the Zimbabwean government to improve its image.

He also claims the Mugabe government owes him $1-million.

He alleges that Tsvangirai said the British government would provide £6-million to pay the Zimbabwe air force commander, Air Marshal Perence Shiri, to lead a coup against Mugabe. Ben Menashe said he never saw the money.

The MDC leaders deny the charge. They could face the death penalty if convicted.

The charges stem from a videotape secretly recorded by Ben Menashe in his Montreal office during a meeting with Tsvangirai in 2001.

Both the defence and the independent Zimbabwe Mass Media Monitoring Project has said the videotapes have been heavily edited.

The tape shown in court yesterday was badly muffled and at no time did Tsvangirai say he wanted Mugabe murdered. The key statement from Tsvangirai on the tape was: ”The discussion was not about elimination of Mugabe. The discussion was about the elections and the post-election outcome.” – Guardian Unlimited