Zimbabwe government to defy Judiciary

‘‘The sentence imposed on the minister ... has no force of effect,’’ said David Mangota, the top civil servant in the justice ministry.

The move was seen as further evidence of a breakdown in the rule of law in the troubled southern African country.

Judge Blackie imposed the three month sentence after Chinamasa repeatedly refused to appear on contempt of court charges.

At issue was Chinamasa’s criticism of High Court Judge Mohammed Adam for being what he said was too lenient in a 1999 ruling against three Americans who had been prosecuted for having illegal weapons.

In issuing the jail term, Blackie said Chinamasa had attempted to bring the entire judiciary into disrepute.

‘‘He has deliberately scorned and avoided the process and directives of the court. His only response to the authority of the court has been abuse and threats,’’ said Blackie.

But Information Minister Jonathan Moyo said Chinamasa’s sentence was ‘‘shocking, outrageous and sinister.’’

The judiciary has been under growing pressure by the government to issue rulings in its favour.

During the last two years of unrest, the government has repeatedly ignored court orders, instructing police not to enforce them.

Several of the senior, more independent minded judges have left the bench.

Last year, the government expanded the Supreme Court bench from five to eight judges, in an apparent bid to pack the highest court in the country with sympathetic judges.

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay, who left the bench last year amid death threats, said Mugabe’s government had continually only enforced court rulings it approved of.

Mugabe’s increasingly authoritarian government has cracked down on the independent press, the judiciary, opposition officials and human rights workers during two years of political and economic

chaos.