Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, was formally charged with treason today over an alleged plot to assassinate President Robert Mugabe.
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Mr Morgan Tsvangirai
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His opposition colleague Mr Renson Gasela, the shadow minister of lands and agriculture, was also formally charged with treason, which carries a maximum penalty of the death sentence in Zimbabwe.
The men were summoned to the magistrate's court within 24 hours of the Commonwealth announcing that it was suspending Zimbabwe for one year on the basis of a damning report by the 54-member body's election observer mission to Zimbabwe's March 9-11th presidential election.
They were freed on bail under orders to report to Harare police once a week.
Mr Tsvangirai was released on bail of 1.5 million Zimbabwe dollars ($27,200) cash and a three million dollar surety, while Mr Gasela paid 500,000 dollars. Both had to surrender their passports.
Lawyer Mr Eric Matinenga said today’s court appearance was a "just continued harassment of Mr Tsvangirai and senior members of his party", and that it was "a typical knee-jerk reaction to the events that unfolded yesterday in London."
Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in a statement today said the formal charges "underlines the determination of Mr Mugabe to continue his attacks on the MDC and its leadership, and demonstrates once again Mr Mugabe's contempt for democracy and his commitment to a one-party, totalitarian regime."
Four other top MDC officials have been implicated in the alleged assassination plot.
MDC Secretary General Welshman Ncube was formally charged in connection with the affair last Tuesday, a day before Mr Mugabe was declared to have won the election by a wide margin over Mr Tsvangirai.
Mr Ncube was released on bail of 500,000 Zimbabwe dollars and ordered to surrender his travel documents.
AFP