The Zimbabwean Attorney General has filed an appeal against the early release of 62 alleged South African mercenaries, Sout African Broadcasting Corporation radio
news reported on Tuesday night.
The Zimbabwean High Court last week reduced their sentences by four months, meaning that they could be released immediately.
The Attorney-General, however, asked his country’s Supreme Court to overturn the High Court decision.
He told the SABC that the suspension of a sentence for early release of a prisoner only applied to Zimbabwean citizens. That legal provision was ”superfluous” for foreigners, because they were not controlled by Zimbabwe.
The men were expected to be released and bussed back to South Africa on either Monday or Tuesday. By late on Tuesday afternoon there was no sign of them at the Beit Bridge border post where their attorney Alwyn Griebenow, and a small contingent of journalists were waiting.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa knew nothing about the new twist in the saga.
”I spoke to our ambassador in Zimbabwe and he has not been officially informed of this,” said Mamoepa.
Seventy men were originally arrested in March last year in connection with an alleged coup d’etat in Equatorial Guinea. Two were acquitted, two more freed for medical reasons, and one died in jail.
Of the remaining 65, 62 would have been free to come home. Two pilots and alleged coup leader Simon Mann will have to remain in Zimbabwe to serve the remainder of their longer sentences, according to Griebenow.
The pilots got 16 month sentences, and Mann was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, which was later reduced to four years.
The group was arrested at Harare International airport when they apparently landed to refuel and pick up military equipment. They were all travelling on South African passports. Zimbabwean authorities said they were on their way to join 15
other suspected mercenaries — including eight South Africans — arrested in Equatorial Guinea around the same time.
They were accused of planning to overthrow Equatorial Guinea’s leader Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
The men denied the charges, claiming they were on their way to the Democratic Republic of Congo to guard mines. They were convicted of breaching Zimbabwe’s aviation, immigration, firearms and security laws.
British businessman Mark Thatcher, accused of partly financing the alleged coup plot, was fined R3-million in January after pleading guilty to contravening South African anti-mercenary laws. – Sapa