Harare(ZimEye)Zimbabwe’s attorney general developed cold feet on Thursday after MDC treasurer Roy Bennett’s lawyers demanded that crucial computer and police log evidence be produced immediately.

Defence lawyers Thursday demanded a police log book and ‘recorded’ laptop email evidence linking arms dealer Michael Hitschmann be produced. Attorney General, Johannes Tomana (pictured) began saying that the logs were confidential and that the defence could only obtain them after a successful court application, which usually takes weeks to be approved. Tomana also defended his position saying that production of the log in court ‘would jeopardise State security.’

When called forward, the police officer in charge Chief Supt Makone also began to say that the State was ‘relying on other information’ apart from Hitschmann’s affidavit.

“There is a video clip showing Hitschmann confessing freely without any pressure.”

“The e-mails are another form of evidence linking the accused to the offence,” Makone said.

However, Hitschmann’s confession has been challenged on credibility grounds as Hitschmann has recently said that he confessed while under duress. Hitschmann was convicted and jailed for illegally possessing firearms and is a key prosecution witness. But Chief Supt Makone continued claiming that Hitschmann was never subjected to torture.

Defence attorney Ms Beatrice Mtetwa demanded production of the log to verify State allegations that a laptop recovered from Hitschmann and bearing information linking Bennett to the charges was indeed in police custody at the time. The State under Attorney General, Tomana claims that ‘e-mail messages’ implicating Bennett were downloaded from Hitschmann’s laptop.

Ms Mtetwa said there was a possibility State agents tampered with the laptop, a charge Chief Supt Makone denied. However, in another dramatic twist, the state owned Herald newspaper controlled by both Tomana and President Mugabe reported Thursday stating that

“Police logs give detailed accounts of everything done in investigations and exhibits are captured there.”

The trial continues on Monday with the defence cross-examining the witness. (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

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