Zimbabwe opposition chief cleared of treason

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was today found innocent of treason charges that his party maintained all along were a bid by the government to frame him.

In a long awaited ruling, Judge Paddington Garwe declared in the Harare High Court that the leader of the Movement for Democrat ic Change was innocent.

The charges stemmed from state accusations that Mr Tsvangirai plotted to kill President Robert Mugabe with the help of a Canada-based political consultant-They were based on a grainy four-and-a-half-hour video recorded by hidden cameras during a meeting between Mr Tsvangirai and political consultant Ari Ben Menashe in Montreal in December 2001.

During his year-long trial, which ended on 26 February, Mr Tsvangirai's defence attorneys said the tape had been doctored to implicate him in a plot to murder Mr Mugabe and stage a military coup to seize power. Mr Tsvangirai denied involvement in any such plot.

He conceded mentioning the "elimination" of Mr Mugabe during discussions with Ben Menashe, but said this referred only to Mr Mugabe's possible defeat in 2002 presidential polls and the possible formation of a new government.

Before today's verdict, the opposition party described the treason case against its leader as "democracy on trial". Home affairs minister Kembo Mohadi, who is in charge of the country's police, said reinforcements were being deployed outside the courthouse to prevent any unrest.

Testimony in the nation's longest trial covered a broad sweep of intrigue, from the secretly recorded meeting to tampering with evidence.

It even featured allegations of a plan by former US President Bill Clinton, to be bankrolled by the Jewish community in America, to persuade Mr Mugabe to leave office.

Mr Menashe claimed he had been asked by the Clinton administration to negotiate a deal for Mr Mugabe's retirement.