Roy Bennett in trouble as judge presses ahead with defamation suit

HIGH Court Judge, Chinembiri Bhunu is pressing ahead with a US$1 million defamation suit against exiled MDC-T politician Roy Bennett and the UK's Guardian newspaper.

The MDC-T treasurer told the newspaper he expected Bhunu to find him guilty in a 2009 terrorism trial, arguing that the judge was a Zanu-PF apologist and recipient of a farm given through political patronage.

Bhunu later acquitted Bennett on charges he plotted to assassinate President Robert Mugabe in 2006.

Bennett's lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, confirmed she was served with the litigation papers this week, adding Bhunu had now cited The Guardian newspaper and British journalist David Smith.

"The Judge has applied to join as parties to the court action The Guardian newspaper and David Smith - who they say is the journalist (Bennett) gave an interview to in Zimbabwe," Mtetwa said.

But Bennett told VOA news he will not be returning to Zimbabwe to defend himself against Bhunu's suit.

"There is selective application of the law. Look at Solomon Madzore the MDC youth chairman. How many times has he come up for bail? He is sitting in prison. Where is the power within the MDC and the MDC in government to help him? He is rotting in prison. Who can help him?" he said.

"I have already spent more than nine months of my life in prison. I have lost everything I own in Zimbabwe. I have been persecuted in every single manner. What guarantees are there that I will have any justice whatsoever in view of us going into an election?"

Bennett, a former legislator, was sent to prison after allegedly attacking shoved Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa during a parliamentary debate in 2003.