Arrested MDC-T officials breached Official Secrets Act, says police

The four MDC officials who were arrested by police on Sunday over charges of impersonation, illegal possession of articles for criminal use and breaching the Official Secrets Act are not civil servants assigned to the Prime Minister's Office, but work for a non-governmental organisation, Idazim, police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said yesterday.

The three former public prosecutors, Thabani Mpofu, Felix Matsinde and Mehluli Tshuma together with a Harare councillor, Warship Dumba, are facing charges of impersonating police, possession of articles for criminal use and breaching the Official Secrets Act.

Harare lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa was arrested together with the four and is facing charges of obstructing the course of justice after she allegedly tried to stop the arrests. They are all expected to appear in court today.

On Sunday, police separately arrested the suspects before raiding Number 14 Bath Road where they recovered some documents and other exhibits linking the suspects to the preferred charges.

The raided premises, according to the police, belonged to the non-governmental organisation, Idazim, but the MDC-T is saying they housed the officials employed in the Prime Minister's Office.

"To try and bring them into the Prime Minister's Office is mischief. They are not civil servants assigned to the Prime Minister's Office by the Public Service Commission. Some of them have been suspended by the civil service and some of them have been fired.

"They cannot be called staff in the Prime Minister's Office in terms of Government because the PM's offices are housed at Charter House, not number 14 Bath Road, and in terms of politics, they are at Harvest House.

"This is an NGO and we do not expect anyone in Government, from the President himself, to run parallel structures of the same Government," Asst Comm Charamba said.

She said police were finalising their paperwork and that the suspects would appear in court today.

"Police are finalising their work and the suspects will appear in court tomorrow (Tuesday). You will hear about the charges tomorrow in court," she said.

The quartet's lawyer Mr Alec Muchadehama, confirmed the charges being faced by his clients and said one of them, Ms Anna Muzvidziwa, was now being treated as a State witness.

On Sunday night Justice Charles Hungwe ordered the release of Mtetwa following an urgent chamber application by the defence team led by Advocate Thabani Mpofu.

Harare lawyer Mr Harrison Nkomo was also part of Mtetwa's lawyers.

"Respondent or any other police officer stationed at CID Law and Order or Rhodesville Police Station or any such place as applicant may be kept, shall upon sight of this order cause her immediate release from police custody," read part of the interim relief.

"In the urgent chamber application, Commissioner-General of Police Augustine Chihuri, Officer Commanding CID Law and Order, Superintendent Mukazhi and Assistant Inspector Mirimbo were listed as respondents.

Mr Nkomo deposed an affidavit on behalf of Mtetwa saying the arrest was unlawful.

Yesterday afternoon, Mtetwa's lawyers filed a fresh application seeking to compel the police to bring Mtetwa before the High Court and to explain why they had not released her.

Adv Mpofu confirmed the development saying police had been served with the order of the High Court.