Harare - A high court judge in the Zimbabwe capital of Harare on Monday ordered the release from custody of a top official of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change after the official spent 11 days in jail on what the MDC said were "trumped-up charges."

Police pressed charges of perjury against MDC director-general Toendepi Shonhe for reporting to police that several MDC activists - who had been released in March after having being held in detention for nearly six months - had been abducted on June 2.

Police claimed the activists had not been abducted but "collected" by officers for investigation of alleged terrorism.

Government authorities appealed against a magistrate's decision to grant Shonhe bail, effectively forcing the MDC official to wait in jail for the appeal to be lodged, which took more than a week.

In the end, Judge Felistas Chatukuta dismissed the appeal after Shonhe's lawyers argued there was no merit in the state's case.

Shonhe's lawyer Andrew Makoni said Shonhe for his part has lodged an appeal to the supreme court to strike down the provision forcing suspects to stay in custody if the state lodges an appeal, on the grounds that it contravened the rights of accused persons.

The provision has been used repeatedly against opponents of President Robert Mugabe since former opposition leader Tsvangirai and Mugabe teamed up in a coalition transitional government. The appeals typically either are never lodged by the state or are dismissed when they appear before a judge.

Arrests on so-called trumped-up charges is one of numerous issues straining relations in the new coalition government, with Tsvangirai accusing Mugabe of flouting commitments made in the coalition pact.(dpa)