Zimbabwe: Parliamentary committee summons former president Mugabe over corruption

AFP | A Zimbabwe parliament committee has summoned former president Robert Mugabe to give evidence on May 9 over diamond corruption costing billions of dollars, underlining his fall from power.

Mugabe, 94, was forced to resign from the presidency last November amid impeachment proceedings.

“We have set May 9 as the date on which he will give evidence,” Temba Mliswa, the mines and energy parliament committee chairman, told Friday’s state-owned Herald newspaper.

“We met as a committee and resolved that we invite the former president, Mr. Mugabe to our committee to explain the disappearance of US$15 billion worth of diamonds,” said Mliswa, an independent MP.

The lawmakers plan to question Mugabe over his 2016 claim that the country had lost US$15 billion due to corruption and foreign exploitation in the diamond sector.
It was unclear whether Mugabe, who is in frail health, would agree to appear before the committee or make moves to avoid a potential grilling.

Lucrative diamond mines

The parliamentary committee has already summoned former ministers, ex-police chiefs and heads of several government department.

Zimbabwe discovered alluvial diamonds in Chiadzwa, 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.

Amid allegations of massive looting, Zimbabwe allowed several diamond companies companies to mine the area – most of them as joint ventures between the government and foreign firms.

Zimbabwe is due to hold elections in July or August, the first since Mugabe was unseated, with the ruling ZANU-PF party widely predicted to retain power.

Incumbent president, Emmerson Mnangagwa has vowed to hold a fair vote, and to tackle graft as he tries to revive the shattered economy by attracting investment and re-building many ties cut under Mugabe’s regime.