News / Wikileaks
Zim politicians faces treason charges over Wikileaks revelations
07 Sep 2011 at 12:45hrs | Views
Vice President Joice Mujuru and other senior members of President Robert Mugabe's inner circle face possible prosecution for exchanging information with United States diplomats, attorney general Johannes Tomana has said.
Attorney General Johannes Tomana says he will not order any immediate stop to an on-going probe focussing on possible spying activities by Zimbabwean nationals working in cahoots with the American government.
"We are actually going to look at anything that violates our Constitution and our laws and we will take action against anybody who does that," Tomana told Radio VOP in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
There are fears Tomana, who is being accused by President Robert Mugabe's opponents of sparing the veteran leader's loyalists from criminal prosecutions, would develop cold feet after it turned out top Zanu (PF) officials also met US diplomats secretly to pour out on the party's secrets.
Although there are no casualties yet, Tomana's probe took off early this year after the first WikiLeaks cables implicated Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai as having begged the US to maintain its sanctions on President Mugabe and his allies for failure to abide by the unity agreement.
The probe was seen as a witch hunt on the MDC-T leader that was aimed at weakening his strong challenge on the veteran leader's 31 year old stranglehold on power.
Tomana said he would not seek any politician's authority to proceed with his investigations insisting he was an autonomous individual.
"The investigating authority is the ZRP and the prosecuting authority is me so there are no sacred cows. We will prosecute anybody who is found to have committed an offence. We do not know on anybody who has been made a sacred cow by our constitution," he said.
Tomana would not attach a date on when the first Wikileaks prosecutions would begin saying "an investigation is very unpredictable in its nature".
The latest round of US diplomatic cables released by the website brought astonishing revelations of President Robert Mugabe having met US diplomats clandestinely to discuss issues that have long been labelled taboo within Zanu (PF).
WikiLeaks, a whistle blower website which has caused a sensation by leaking confidential US diplomatic cables, has released cables exposing Mugabe's top allies as hypocrites who supped with the 87-year-old's enemies by night.
Among the senior officials in the line of fire are: Mujuru, politburo members Saviour Kasukuwere, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and Jonathan Moyo, Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi, army officials and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono among others.
Last year when the leaked cables were first published, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was said to have met with US envoys and suggested that they maintain targeted sanctions while publicly calling for their lifting.
The revelations prompted Tomana to say that he would instigate a probe into what he called "treasonous collusions."
"The Wikileaks appear to show a treasonous collusion between local Zimbabweans and the aggressive international world, particularly the United States.
"With immediate effect, I am going to instruct a team of practicing lawyers to look into the issues that arise from the WikiLeaks," Tomana told the state-controlled Herald newspaper then.
In light of the explosions of the US confidential cables last week, Tomana told the Daily News yesterday he still had plans to go ahead with the probe which initially targeted Tsvangirai.
However, in light of the revelations that some senior members of the former ruling party like Mujuru, Kasukuwere, Moyo and Gono held discussions with the Americans, the AG who openly supports Zanu PF, said no one was above the law.
"Why are you going for personalities? Do you not know what the constitution says? The constitution covers everybody and I am just doing my job," Tomana said when asked if he will probe Vice President Mujuru.
The leaked cables which were published on the WikiLeaks website released minutes of meetings held by political leaders with US government officials where they divulged sensitive information about the country and their respective parties
If the AG goes ahead with his plans, prominent politicians whose clandestine meetings with the Americans who Mugabe considers enemies of the state face prosecution?
Vice President Mujuru held a secret meeting with the US ambassador and suggested more meetings saying they were useful.
Previously Zanu PF with Moyo being the most vocal demanded Tsvangirai's resignation and prosecution after the PM's expose saying it was treasonous and treacherous.
"There are only two things that could happen in any civilised democracy, for him to resign not just from Government but public life altogether. He must also be prosecuted for a litany of treasonous acts against the State.
"The only questions about those two things is not whether they should happen but when they are going to happen," Moyo said.
The Member of Parliament for Tsholotsho North went on to say Tsvangirai's actions were treasonous before his own secret meetings with the Americans he loves to insult were revealed.
A great orator and shrewd analyst and faithful messenger according to US officials, Moyo now finds himself in a catch 22 situation.
Treason attracts a prison sentence of up to 20 years according to Zimbabwean laws.
Moyo even went as far as accusing Tsvangirai of conniving with the US to affect a coup.
However interesting details in a meeting held on March 30, 2007 with Ambassador Christopher Dell, he dispensed party secrets and a planned reshuffle of security agent's bosses to avert the possibility of a coup.
Another Zanu PF official who was once an MDC member Gabriel Chaibva even suggested the MDC should fire Tsvangirai from the party because of his actions.
Also likely to face fire and brimstone over WikiLeaks's revelations are the two generals who said army commander general Constantine Chiwenga lacked military expertise.
In Zimbabwe anyone who insults the person of the president can be prosecuted.
Attorney General Johannes Tomana says he will not order any immediate stop to an on-going probe focussing on possible spying activities by Zimbabwean nationals working in cahoots with the American government.
"We are actually going to look at anything that violates our Constitution and our laws and we will take action against anybody who does that," Tomana told Radio VOP in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
There are fears Tomana, who is being accused by President Robert Mugabe's opponents of sparing the veteran leader's loyalists from criminal prosecutions, would develop cold feet after it turned out top Zanu (PF) officials also met US diplomats secretly to pour out on the party's secrets.
Although there are no casualties yet, Tomana's probe took off early this year after the first WikiLeaks cables implicated Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai as having begged the US to maintain its sanctions on President Mugabe and his allies for failure to abide by the unity agreement.
The probe was seen as a witch hunt on the MDC-T leader that was aimed at weakening his strong challenge on the veteran leader's 31 year old stranglehold on power.
Tomana said he would not seek any politician's authority to proceed with his investigations insisting he was an autonomous individual.
"The investigating authority is the ZRP and the prosecuting authority is me so there are no sacred cows. We will prosecute anybody who is found to have committed an offence. We do not know on anybody who has been made a sacred cow by our constitution," he said.
Tomana would not attach a date on when the first Wikileaks prosecutions would begin saying "an investigation is very unpredictable in its nature".
The latest round of US diplomatic cables released by the website brought astonishing revelations of President Robert Mugabe having met US diplomats clandestinely to discuss issues that have long been labelled taboo within Zanu (PF).
WikiLeaks, a whistle blower website which has caused a sensation by leaking confidential US diplomatic cables, has released cables exposing Mugabe's top allies as hypocrites who supped with the 87-year-old's enemies by night.
Among the senior officials in the line of fire are: Mujuru, politburo members Saviour Kasukuwere, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and Jonathan Moyo, Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi, army officials and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono among others.
Last year when the leaked cables were first published, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was said to have met with US envoys and suggested that they maintain targeted sanctions while publicly calling for their lifting.
The revelations prompted Tomana to say that he would instigate a probe into what he called "treasonous collusions."
"The Wikileaks appear to show a treasonous collusion between local Zimbabweans and the aggressive international world, particularly the United States.
"With immediate effect, I am going to instruct a team of practicing lawyers to look into the issues that arise from the WikiLeaks," Tomana told the state-controlled Herald newspaper then.
However, in light of the revelations that some senior members of the former ruling party like Mujuru, Kasukuwere, Moyo and Gono held discussions with the Americans, the AG who openly supports Zanu PF, said no one was above the law.
"Why are you going for personalities? Do you not know what the constitution says? The constitution covers everybody and I am just doing my job," Tomana said when asked if he will probe Vice President Mujuru.
The leaked cables which were published on the WikiLeaks website released minutes of meetings held by political leaders with US government officials where they divulged sensitive information about the country and their respective parties
If the AG goes ahead with his plans, prominent politicians whose clandestine meetings with the Americans who Mugabe considers enemies of the state face prosecution?
Vice President Mujuru held a secret meeting with the US ambassador and suggested more meetings saying they were useful.
Previously Zanu PF with Moyo being the most vocal demanded Tsvangirai's resignation and prosecution after the PM's expose saying it was treasonous and treacherous.
"There are only two things that could happen in any civilised democracy, for him to resign not just from Government but public life altogether. He must also be prosecuted for a litany of treasonous acts against the State.
"The only questions about those two things is not whether they should happen but when they are going to happen," Moyo said.
The Member of Parliament for Tsholotsho North went on to say Tsvangirai's actions were treasonous before his own secret meetings with the Americans he loves to insult were revealed.
A great orator and shrewd analyst and faithful messenger according to US officials, Moyo now finds himself in a catch 22 situation.
Treason attracts a prison sentence of up to 20 years according to Zimbabwean laws.
Moyo even went as far as accusing Tsvangirai of conniving with the US to affect a coup.
However interesting details in a meeting held on March 30, 2007 with Ambassador Christopher Dell, he dispensed party secrets and a planned reshuffle of security agent's bosses to avert the possibility of a coup.
Another Zanu PF official who was once an MDC member Gabriel Chaibva even suggested the MDC should fire Tsvangirai from the party because of his actions.
Also likely to face fire and brimstone over WikiLeaks's revelations are the two generals who said army commander general Constantine Chiwenga lacked military expertise.
In Zimbabwe anyone who insults the person of the president can be prosecuted.
Source - thezimbabwemail
