23 February 2014

Zimbabwe orders deportation of US ex-congressman


Harare — A Zimbabwean court on Friday ordered that former US congressman Melvin Reynolds be deported, after he pleaded guilty to flouting immigration laws for staying in the country on an expired visa.
The Harare magistrate's court ruled that Reynolds, a 62-year-old former legislator from Illinois, be expelled immediately after paying a fine of $100 or serving five days in prison.
The court dismissed pornography charges against Reynolds, after the prosecution failed to obtain an order from the prosecutor general's office to pursue the case.
The charge sheet against him said he had in his possession an iPhone 4S mobile phone which contained videos and pictures of naked women and men having sexual intercourse.
Reynolds lawyer, Arthur Gurira, said outside court that his client was in the process of paying the fine. He did not indicate when he would be deported.
Reynolds, once seen as a rising star in US politics, stepped down from Congress in 1995 in disgrace after being convicted of statutory rape.
He was later convicted of bank fraud and served a prison sentence before being pardoned by then president Bill Clinton.

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