The businessman, Adriaan Espag, brought the vehicle – a bullet-proof BMW X5 registered in South Africa – into Zimbabwe and gave it to Tsvangirai who at the time was running against Mugabe after wining the first round presidential election but with too few votes to take over the presidency.
Police later impounded the vehicle from Tsvangirai’s driver saying it was illegal under the Customs and Excise Act for the opposition leader to use the vehicle in the absence of owner Espag who at the time had already returned to South Africa.
Bulawayo lawyer Job Sibanda, who is acting for Espag, told ZimOnline that the police have since filed charges against the South African who they want back in Zimbabwe to face trial.
Sibanda said: “The police have indicated that they have opened a case against my client and I am still awaiting a trial date which has not been set and once the date has been set my client will travel from South Africa for the case.”
According to the lawyer, customs authorities have refused to release the vehicle pending the outcome of Espag’s trial.
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena was not immediately available for comment on the matter.
Zimbabwe’s Customs and Excise Act prohibits foreign nationals to leave a foreign-registered vehicle in the care of a Zimbabwean national without obtaining proper clearance from the authorities.
Tsvangirai, who later withdrew from June 27 presidential run-off vote because of political violence, started using the bullet-proof vehicle on his return from his self-imposed exile in South Africa.
His Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party claimed at the time that it had uncovered a plot to assassinate Tsvangirai.
The party has never produced details of the plot while Mugabe has insisted such a plot never existed. – ZimOnline
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