[JURIST] Zimbabwean Attorney General Sobusa Gula-Ndebele has been charged with corrupt conduct for allegedly contacting a fugitive, Zimbabwean police said Thursday. Gula-Ndebele is charged with violating the Criminal Law (Codification Reform) Act for doing "anything contrary to or inconsistent with a duty as a Public Officer" and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the corruption charges. While fugitive former banking executive James Mushore was on the Zimbabwean police's wanted list, Gula-Ndebele allegedly met with and informed him that he would not be arrested if he returned to the country.

Political analysts have suggested the charges are politically motivated after Gula-Ndebele's reported conflict with Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa concerning the reported plans by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Justice [official website] to decrease the power of the attorney general's office. Reuters has more. The Financial Gazette has local coverage.