Ex-U.S. congressman pleads not guilty in Zimbabwe court

A former U.S. congressman on Wednesday pleaded not guilty in a Zimbabwe court to charges of possessing pornographic materials and over-staying his visa.

Melvin Reynolds, the 62-year-old former Illinois congressman, was arrested on Monday in Harare.

Reynolds came into Zimbabwe in November last year purporting to be a middleman for investors in the tourism industry but continued staying in the country after his visa expired on December 10, according to court papers.

He was also charged of possessing an iPhone 4S cell phone which contained videos and pictures of naked women and men having sexual intercourse.

Reynolds resigned from the U.S. Congress in 1995 after being convicted of rape. He was later convicted of bank fraud and served a prison sentence before being pardoned by then president Bill Clinton.