Daily Nation Newspaper

Missing $15bn diamond revenue: Zim parliament 'to question Mugabe from his Harare mansion'

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Mugabe, 94, who is in frail health, was called to give evidence last month but the meeting was postponed.

Lawmakers planned to question Mugabe over his 2016 claim that the country had lost $15 billion in revenue due to corruption and foreign exploitati­on in the diamond sector.

A NewsDay report said on Monday that the committee had since indicated that it would meet the veteran politician at his Blue Roof mansion in Borrowdale, Harare on Wednesday.

The chairperso­n of the committee, Temba Mliswa, said that the meeting was not meant to grill or humiliate Mugabe, but it was fact finding mission to break the pu]]le over the missing diamond revenue. Mliswa said that it was now up to parliament to organise the meeting with the nonagenari­an, as his evidence was critical in assisting the committee to conclude its report.

“It is now up to the Parliament administra­tion to get communicat­ion to Mugabe because his evidence will be critical in terms of us concluding our report. We need to do that before parliament is dissolved for the 2018 general elections.

“As a committee, we can go to Mugabe’s house to meet him there to respect his age,” Mliswa was quoted as saying.

The committee has already interviewe­d former ministers, police and intelligen­ce chiefs to answer on diamond mining operations at the vast &hiad]wa gem fields.

Zimbabwe discovered alluvial diamonds in &hiad]wa, in the east of the country, over 10 years ago, and rights groups have accused security forces of using brutal methods to control the scattered deposits. 1eZs

 ??  ?? Mr Mugabe
Mr Mugabe

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