Ex-U.S. Congressman Arrested in Zimbabwe

Former U.S. congressman Melvin Reynolds has been arrested in Zimbabwe, an immigration official said Tuesday, without giving details.

"We are with him and we are conducting investigations. That is all I can say at the moment," Ario Mabika, a spokesman for Zimbabwe's immigration department told AFP.

Police were not available to comment.

The state-controlled Herald newspaper Tuesday reported that Reynolds has been arrested for violating immigration laws and possessing pornographic material.

Reynolds stepped down from the U.S. Congress in 1995 after being convicted of statutory rape.

He was later convicted of bank fraud, but was pardoned by then president Bill Clinton.

The Herald quoted a source saying the former congressman was picked up at a local hotel Monday after running up a bill of $24,500 and that he has been living in the country illegally after his visa expired.

According to The Herald, which witnessed his arrest, Reynolds was denied contact with the U.S. embassy in Harare.

"I have been in this country 17 times where I have done a lot of work for the people including the fight against sanctions," the paper quotes him as saying.

The U.S. embassy in Harare could not comment on Reynolds' arrest.

The Herald said Reynolds had been linked to the construction of a $145 million five-star Hilton Hotel and office complex. Building was set to start in April, it said.