Harare , Zimbabwe ( CNN ) -- The trial of controversial Zimbabwean politician Roy Bennett took a new twist Tuesday when prosecutors told the judge they wanted to impeach their star witness . The prosecution called arms dealer Michael Peter Hitschmann to the stand to implicate Bennett in the procurement of the arms . Bennett is a senior official of the Movement for Democratic Change ( MDC ) and Zimbabwe 's deputy agriculture minister-designate . He has pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism and inciting people to carry out terrorism . He could face the death penalty if convicted . The MDC -- led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai -- says the case against Bennett is politically motivated and was aimed at keeping him out of the unity government it formed with President Robert Mugabe 's Zanu-PF party last February . Under questioning from Attorney General Johannes Tomana , Hitschmann testified he had seen Bennett on television and then had met him at a public gathering . But Hitschmann told the fully packed courtroom that he was not aware of some of the weapons the prosecution claims that he bought with the financial support of Bennett . In addition , Hitschmann -- who appeared relaxed throughout the proceedings -- cast doubt on the authenticity of e-mails that were produced in court which the prosecution said had been retrieved from his laptop and which allegedly reveal that he and Bennett were planning to commit terrorism . `` None of the contents was retrieved from my laptop in my absence or in the presence of my legal counsel ( in 2006 when he was arrested ) , '' he said , adding , `` I do n't know here they came from . '' After that , Tomana started questioning Hitschmann as if he were a hostile witness and not the star witness for the prosecution . Bennett 's lawyers objected , saying the prosecution was trying to `` confuse '' people . At that point , Tomana indicated that he was in the `` preparatory stage '' to `` to lay evidence that Hitschmann was being inconsistent . '' `` The witness -- who is an accomplice witness by the way -- is getting to be a witness in favor of the accused ; we are entitled to start impeachment procedures when the state witness starts showing that he is being unfavorably indisposed in favor of the accused , '' he added . Bennett 's lawyer , Beatrice Mtetwa , said the prosecution had never indicated that it had e-mails which were purportedly written by her client and Hitschmann . She said Hitschmann had submitted an affidavit saying he does not want to testify against Bennett , adding that the statements about conspiracy that were purportedly made by him were done under `` traumatic and unfriendly circumstances '' in 2006 , when he was arrested and later charged with terrorism himself . Mtetwa said the prosecution was attempting to take a statement Hitschmann made to the army and turn it into a statement against her client . `` That is an army-procured statement . What legal basis is there to change it to a witness statement ? The statement was made when he was an accused facing conspiracy charges , '' said Mtetwa . `` During that time the prosecution did not indicate that he had acted in common purpose with the accused ( Bennett ) . '' Hitschmann was acquitted of terrorism charges in 2006 but served a jail sentence for the lesser charge of possessing weapons without a license . The weapons allegedly included six sub-machine guns and two machine guns , which the prosecution produced in Bennett 's trial as part of the state 's exhibits . The judge in the case , Justice Chinembiri Bhunu , who resumed the trial after adjourning it last November , is expected to rule Wednesday whether the state can proceed to impeach its own witness . Throughout the court proceedings , Bennett -- clad in a blue suit , matching blue tie and a light blue shirt -- sat motionless , gazing into the sky once in a while . He laughed out loud when Hitschmann said he first saw Bennett on television punching the justice minister in parliament .
Attorney General tells court that prosecution wants to impeach star witness . The attorney general says he will not allow the case against Blagojevich to proceed without a grand jury indictment of him and his top aide. Zimbabwe politician Roy Bennett is on trial for terrorism , banditry and insurgency . Bennett denies the charges , which his party alleges are politically motivated .