A defence lawyer in the treason trial of Zimbabwe's opposition leader has accused the key prosecution witness of setting up the case and taking $1 million from the government.
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and two senior party officials face a possible death penalty if convicted of plotting to kill President Robert Mugabe, which they all deny.
Mr Tsvangirai's chief defence lawyer attacked key prosecution witness Mr Ari Ben-Menashe, a Canadian-based political consultant, as an unreliable witness with a history of defrauding southern African governments of money under the guise of helping them.
Advocate Mr George Bizos asked Mr Ben-Menashe questions over his business deals, including a commodity broking firm which he alleged had taken millions of dollars from Zambia but failed to supply its government with promised grain.
Mr Bizos said Mr Ben-Menashe, who said he video-taped Mr Tsvangirai discussing Mr Mugabe's assassination and seeking help to stage a coup against his government, had taken $100,000 from the MDC but failed to deliver the promised political consultancy.
Mr Ben-Menashe had also taken about $1 million from the Zimbabwe government, Mr Bizos said, but he did not elaborate.