Biti must account for diamond money: Mpofu
by Staff Reporter
23/07/2010 00:00:00
MINES Minister Obert Mpofu has dismissed as “hot air” and “nonsense” claims by Finance Minister Tendai Biti that up to US$30 million raised from diamond sales has not been accounted for. Mpofu said if Biti did his job properly, he would find the “missing” money IN HIS MINISTRY.
“The role of the ministry [of Mines] is to produce, and the role of the Minister of Finance is to collect. If they have not collected US$30 million, they should not blame anyone but themselves,” Mpofu told the Voice of America’s Studio 7 last night.
In a stinging rebuke, Mpofu said “someone did not advise Minister Biti properly” before he told parliament during his mid-term fiscal policy statement on July 15 that “Zimbabwe has sold at least US$30 million worth of diamonds from Marange, which Treasury has no record or knowledge of."
Mpofu said: “It’s just all nonsensical, we cannot be guided by some statements which don’t make sense.
“In fact they are talking about US$30 million because they know what happened to that export, so they should be responsible to account for it. The Ministry of Mines don’t collect any money, they actually produce minerals and allow those who have produced those minerals to export using the parameters set by the Ministry of Finance.
“All the exports of any sort from any country are supported by export documents that actually accompany all exports. So these exports were done by the Ministry of Finance, and they should be accounted by the Ministry of Finance because they are the ones who process the export documents. It is the responsibility of his ministry to deal with those issues.”
Mpofu said a forensic audit of diamonds produced from Marange was underway and he expects it will prove Biti wrong.
Meanwhile Mpofu has revealed Zimbabwe could resume diamond exports as early as August after finally getting certification from the industry watchdog, the Kimberley Process.
Zimbabwe has extended an invitation to the KP monitor Abbey Chikane “who has agreed to come at the latest in the first week of August” to oversee diamond exports worth an estimated US$1,7 billion.
Mpofu said: “We’re advising all stakeholders to start making preparations for this major development. We want to invite the generality of the public to come and see how this process will be conducted, which will be completely transparent to prove the peddlers of misinformation wrong. We want to prove the sceptics wrong and do what is good for the people of this country, and what is good for the Kimberley Process.”
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The minister said proceeds from the diamond exports would be rapidly injected into the fiscus to support Zimbabwe’s economic regeneration and social services.
“The Minister of Finance made a public declaration in his budget speech where he said declaration of dividends in the diamond sector will be made on a weekly business. That is transparent enough for people to understand that we mean business, this will be done on a weekly basis,” Mpofu said.
“It is unprecedented; it has never been heard of where you have operations of this nature being subjected to such dividend declaration to ensure money quickly goes to the people. This is money that will be going to the fiscus and not going to any organisation or any individuals who may want to beat the system. We are serious about this and we have been listening to a lot of destructive and negative statements based on ignorance.”
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