A Zimbabwean magistrate on Wednesday ordered British mercenary Simon Mann to be extradited to Equatorial Guinea to face charges he plotted a coup against the Malabo government in 2004.
The Harare lawyer representing Mann, Jonathan Samkange, expressed shock at the judgement, calling it politically influenced. Mann did not attend Wednesday’s court session due to poor health, Samkange said.
Mann had been scheduled to be released on Friday, after serving about three years of his initial seven year prison term. But authorities technically released him Wednesday and immediately remanded him back to Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in Harare where he was to be held until his extradition.
Samkange accused the government of moving up his client’s date of release from prison to Wednesday from Friday to coincide with the magistrate's decision and he complained, that he was not informed of the early release.
Samkange told reporter Ndimyake Mwakalyelye of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that he intended to file a high court appeal Thursday.