A Harare magistrate on Tuesday acquitted six men who were facing allegations of trying to overthrow President Robert Mugabe In his judgment Mr Archie Wochiunga said the state lacked enough evidence to prove a case against the accused persons.
The accused persons cannot be put on their defense, so that they bolster a deficient state case. There is no evidence on which a reasonable court can convict the accused persons. The state did not manage to establish that there was an agreement between the six accused persons to escape from prison. In the result all the six accused persons are discharged in the close of the state case, said Wochiunga.
The six, Albert Matapo, Nyasha Zivuku, Oncemore Mudzurahona, Emmanuel Marara, Patson Mupfure, Shingirayi Mutemachani where also last year acquitted of the treason charges in which the state had alleged that they wanted to topple Mugabe
Matapo, who is an ex-army Captain, with his company was arrested in 2006 and stayed in prison until last year when they were acquitted soon after being handed another charge of attempting to escape from lawfull custody.
Matapo had allegedly been found in procession of a hammer, a number of hacksaw blades with one frame, glass cutters and a rope estimated to be fifteen meters long in his Chikurubi Maximum Security prison cell and one burglar bar had already been cut loose at the time of the discovery by prison authorities.
The state had also alleged that the accused persons where working with a prison officer who was slapped with a five year jail term.
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