Zimbabwean Justice Minister Gets Jail Term

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, July 18, 2002

Zimbabwean Justice Minister Gets Jail Term

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Zimbabwe Patrick Chinamasa was on Wednesday sentenced to an effective three months in jail for contempt of court.

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Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Zimbabwe Patrick Chinamasa was on Wednesday sentenced to an effective three months in jail for contempt of court.

Chinamasa, according to the Herald on Thursday, was also orderedto pay a fine of 50,000 Zimbabwean dollars (about 909 US dollars).

Justice Blackie convicted the minister of the two charges afterhe failed to appear in court to answer the allegations.

A warrant for his arrest has since been issued.

However, Chinamasa was said to be out of the country on Wednesday.

The minister was supposed to appear before Justice Blackie to respond to a contempt of court charge, which arose after he criticized a six-month jail term imposed by Justice Adam on three Americans convicted of possession of firearms.

A warrant for Chinamasa's arrest had been issued after he failed to appear in court the first time. He had also not sought cancellation of the warrant.

In his ruling handed down on Wednesday, Justice Blackie said Chinamasa had shown no intention of appearing before the High Court.

"It is clear that Chinamasa has no intention of appearing before this court," said Justice Blackie.

Chinamasa's arrest was not a "hostile parting shot against the executive" as he sought to suggest, he said.

The Supreme Court, he said, had directed that the contempt of court charge be heard.

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