Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Zim 'loses' over US$100m in illicit diamond deals

Zim 'loses' over US$100m in illicit diamond deals
By: Floyd Nkomo
Posted: Monday, November 15, 2010 1:40 am

ZIMBABWE could have lost more than US$100 million in underhand diamond deals by Canadile Miners officials, according to reports from the country. An investigation team led by the Border Control and Minerals Unit in Manicaland has been dispatched to various areas in Mutare to investigate the allegations.

The probe team visited the Mutare City Council's housing department offices to find out who were the owners of properties that some foreign Canadile directors were using during their stay in Mutare, and whether they had any links with the smuggling of diamonds.

Some of the property owners in Mutare were also fingered out as part of the mining concern's directors who were smuggling the diamonds out of the country.

The acting Officer Commanding Border Control and Minerals Unit in Manicaland, Chief Inspector Freeman Magwaza, confirmed the probe.

"All I can say is that the matter is being handled by police detectives from Harare. They visited Mutare recently and probed former Canadile workers who might have been linked to the goings on at the mine. For further information you can contact our guys in Harare," he said.

Some of the well known runners in Mutare were playing hard to get this week, as the net was closing on them.

They were alleged to have bought so many properties in Mutare including haulage trucks over a short space of time.

The investigations are taking place at a time when six mining executives accused of fraudulently acquiring diamond concessions in Chiadzwa are appearing in court for misleading the Government into entering a diamond mining venture with an undeserving company, Canadile Miners.

Among them are former ZMDC chief executive Dominic Mubaiwa, Core Mining director, Lovemore Kurotwi, ZMDC director, Ashton Ndlovu, company secretary, John Tichaona Mhonde, Gloria Mawarire and board member, Mark Tsomondo.

Although the national police spokespersons, Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena and his deputy, Chief Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka were not readily available for a comment at the time of going to Press on Wednesday on the Chiadzwa diamond looting probe, police sources said they were leaving no stone unturned in trying to get to the bottom of the illegal activities at Canadile.

"We are looking for people who might have information on all the illegal activities that were happening at Canadile to come forward.

"These people can be either employees or former employees of the company because we want to have as much information as possible on who was doing what at the company.

"We understand a lot of underhand activities were happening. We are not only stopping at employees or former employees, but all those who have information that will nail the suspects.

"We understand some of the runners were living large in Mutare and have even bought haulage trucks from part of the proceeds they got from the illegal sales of diamonds," said the source.

Investigations by the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation revealed that some Canadile directors helped in the smuggling of diamonds outside the country and sold them on the black market, with part of the proceeds being pocketed by company officials under the guise of loans.

When approached for a comment on Tuesday afternoon, the ZMDC board chairman, Mr Godwills Masimirembwa, could not shed more light, saying he had been barred from discussing the evidence they had gathered so far outside the court until after cross-examination.

ZMDC has since blacklisted at least 12 Canadile directors among them Robert van der Merwe, Yehuda Licht, Anorld Neil Lange, Subithry Naidoo, Kuberin Packrisamy, Marco Chiotti, Minesh Bungwadeen, Viken Arslanian, Komalin Packirisamy, Vejayanakumar Pickirisamy and Allan John Sawyer.

Some of the directors are alleged convicts, drug dealers, while others were described as 'apartheid mercenaries'.

The ZMDC through its Marange Resources Company has since taken over operations at the Canadile Mine.

Labels: BORDER CONTROL AND MINERALS UNIT (ZIMBABWE), CANADILE MINERS, CORRUPTION, DIAMONDS, FREEMAN MAGWAZA

posted by MrK @ 7:08 AM