Bennett’s defence team disputes e-mail evidence

Staff writer
24 February 2010

MDC Treasurer-General Roy Bennett’s legal team on Wednesday disputed a state witness’s evidence backing up e-mails linking him to a terrorism plot.

Beatrice Mtetwa, Bennett’s lead lawyer charged that Perekai Mutsetse, the IT network expert brought in to testify for the state was not qualified to declare their authenticity.

Bennett’s arrest and trial have raised tensions in the power-sharing government formed by Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai. The former Chimanimani commercial farmer is a close aide of Tsvangirai’s and was nominated by the Prime Minister to the post of Deputy Agriculture Minister in the new government. Mugabe has refused to swear him in saying he can only do so ‘if the courts acquit him of the serious charges.’

Bennett faces a death sentence if convicted but he denies the charges and says he is being persecuted by Mugabe’s ZANU PF party. The State accuses Bennett of funding a 2006 plot to blow up a major communications link and assassinate key government officials, and their case hinges on e-mails that prosecutors say link him to the crime.

Attorney General Johannes Tomana brought in Mutsetse to give evidence on the validity of the e-mails. But under cross examination, the IT expert said he had not seen the original e-mails, and had only been shown printed documents by the police.

According to Reuters New agency, Mtetwa argued that anyone could have created the e-mails to implicate Bennett, adding that the state witness had failed to prove that the e-mails were genuine. Mutsetse admitted he did not conduct a forensic analysis to establish the authenticity of the e-mails.

”Since you did not see the original e-mails, you cannot vouch for their authenticity. You have absolutely no expertise in the field you claim to be an expert,” Mtetwa said.

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