20101225
reuters

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's attorney general plans to set up a commission to investigate possible treason charges against locals over briefings with U.S. diplomats that are part of confidential State Department cables released by WikiLeaks.

The investigation appears to be targeting Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and follows state media reports that hawks in President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party wanted an official probe against Tsvangirai over his briefings with the U.S. ambassador in Harare.

In comments that appear in one U.S. state department cable obtained by WikiLeaks, Tsvangirai appears to suggest that his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was not genuine in calling for the lifting of Western sanctions against ZANU-PF.

Attorney General Johannes Tomana said on Saturday he would appoint a team of five lawyers to establish whether reports in the WikiLeaks amounted to any breach of the constitution.

"The WikiLeaks appear to show a treasonous collusion between local Zimbabweans and the aggressive international world, particularly the United States," Tomana said in a statement.

"With immediate effect, I am going to instruct a team of practising lawyers to look into the issues that arise from the WikiLeaks."

The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Tomana, saying his actions undermined the country's democratic institutions.

Tomana said the sanctions were an attack on the office of the Attorney General and the constitution of Zimbabwe.