A Zimbabwean jailed for his role in an alleged plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea has finally been released, several weeks after 61 of his South African counterparts, a newspaper said on Wednesday.
Moses Moyo, who was born in Zimbabwe but now holds a South African passport, was released last week but was not deported back to South Africa because of his connection with Zimbabwe, the state-controlled Herald quoted his lawyer as saying.
Moyo was part of a group of 70 alleged soldiers of fortune arrested at Harare International airport last year when their plane landed to pick up weapons. The Zimbabwe government said the weapons were to be used to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea.
Most of the men were later slapped with year-long prison terms for minor immigration and aviation offences. The prison sentences of 62, all of whom are South Africans, expired last month.
Sixty-one of them were deported back to South Africa. Eight have subsequently been charged under South Africa’s strict anti-mercenary laws.
The alleged ringleader of the plot, former British soldier Simon Mann, is serving a four-year jail term. — Sapa-DPA