British mercenary Simon Mann, being held in Zimbabwe on weapons charges, faced yet another legal hurdle Thursday, when a Harare magistrate turned down a bail application filed by his lawyer.
The decision by Magistrate Omega Mugambate comes one day after she ordered Mann’s extradition to Equatorial Guinea to face charges of plotting a coup against the Malabo government in 2004.
Mann, who was scheduled for release Friday, after serving more than three years of a seven year sentence at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison, was released unexpectedly Wednesday but was held again under immigration warrants.
His lawyer, Jonathan Samkange, who said the government did not inform him of his client's release, believed the decision to extradite Mann was political and by releasing him early, Zimbabwe had hoped to secretly send Mann to Equatorial Guinea.
Samkange said it was obvious that Zimbabwe was not giving Mann a fair deal, but told reporter Ndimyake Mwakalyelye of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that he was doing all he can to help his client.