MDC treasurer-general and deputy Agriculture minister-designate, Senator Roy Bennett, who is facing trumped-up charges of insurgency, was today further remanded to 13 October, 2009 by a Mutare magistrate.

However, MDC lawyers have challenged the State to proceed with the trial on 13 October or if it fails to drop the false charges as the State is trying to drag the case when it has no evidence to prosecute Senator Bennett.

Hon. Bennett was arrested in February at the Charles Prince Airport on his way to South Africa and spent a month in remand at Mutare Remand Prison.

Hon. Bennett is the MDC’s nominee for the position of deputy minister of Agriculture but is yet to be sworn in.

The MDC is concerned by the continued harassment and arrests of its MPs and officials by the State on trumped-up charges. The fact that his case has been remanded further by almost four months means this is just political persecution and the State has no evidence whatsoever linking the deputy minister designate to any crime.

The party also calls for immediate swearing-in of Hon. Bennett as the deputy Agriculture minister because he is innocent until proven guilty.