Attorney General Sobusa Gula-Ndebele was suspended in December after police charged him with corruption in connection with his ties to James Mushore, former director of NMBZ Holdings who fled to Britain in 2004 during a banking crisis.

Authorities accuse Gula-Ndebele of meeting Mushore overseas and promising he would not be arrested if he returned to Zimbabwe. Mushore was arrested in October after he arrived in the southern African nation.

A three-member tribunal established by President Robert Mugabe late last year started its formal probe into Gula-Ndebele's conduct this week, the state-controlled Herald newspaper reported, citing an unnamed justice ministry official.

The hearings are closed to the public.

The newspaper did not say when the tribunal, which includes two judges, was expected to conclude its investigation.

Mugabe's government has vowed to crack down on corruption by senior officials in the economically devastated southern African nation. Critics, however, say the anti-corruption campaign has been ineffective.

Gula-Ndebele faces up to 15 years in prison and a heavy fine if convicted of corruption.