News / National
Four to stay put till Ping Sung Hsieh is extradited
14 Mar 2011 at 00:29hrs | Views
Four South Africans held in Zimbabwe and accused of defrauding the First Family of $1-million are out of jail.
The drivers have been ordered to remain at a safe house in Harare until the chief suspect in the case, Ping Sung Hsieh, is extradited from South Africa.
And in a new twist, it has emerged that South African President Jacob Zuma had been made aware of the case between the First Lady and Ping before the four were arrested.
Ping, a Chinese businessman, operates companies in South Africa and China and has done business with President Robert Mugabe's family before.
But the First Family and Ping fell out after the Chinese businessman allegedly fleeced the 87-year-old leader's wife, Grace, out of $1-million after being contracted to buy her six new haulage trucks from South Africa.
Court papers seen by the Sunday Times show that the First Family had through its aide, Olga Bungu, contracted Ping to buy the haulage trucks, using $1-million which the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe transferred to Ping's account in South Africa in 1998.
The bank, through its official Mirirai Chiremba, has confirmed that the money was transferred to Ping. But Ping denies he received the money.
The trucks were never delivered and the First Family has been trying to have Ping extradited. The matter is now before the South African courts.
Last month, Ping is said to have sent four South African drivers to deliver three haulage trucks to the First Family, but they were arrested and charged with fraud.
The trucks came on temporary import permits and were old, whereas the First Family was expecting new trucks.
Bungu filed affidavits in court claiming that she was unemployed and wanted to buy the trucks to start a haulage business, but evidence gathered by the Sunday Times shows that she works for Grace Mugabe as an aide.
Zuma is said to have questioned the source of the $1-million, especially after it had been transferred from the reserve bankaccount, but the South African president was reportedly provided with evidence that the First Family held an account with the central bank, according to South African embassy officials in Harare who spoke to the Sunday Times.
The officials explained that Zuma came into the picture as the First Family had allegedly asked for assistance in tracing Ping to recover their money.
The South African president is said to have advised that the case should go through the court process.
While the Mugabes are trying to recover their money, the four drivers are holed up at an undisclosed location and must report to police daily.
They were initially granted $500 bail each, but the immigration department ordered them to stay in prison, claiming they were illegal immigrants.
Their lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, approached the High Court, which eventually released them on bail.
Said Mtetwa: "The court says the four South Africans must stay in Zimbabwe until Ping is extradited. I am, however, appealing against the decision to force them to stay in Zimbabwe."
The drivers have been ordered to remain at a safe house in Harare until the chief suspect in the case, Ping Sung Hsieh, is extradited from South Africa.
And in a new twist, it has emerged that South African President Jacob Zuma had been made aware of the case between the First Lady and Ping before the four were arrested.
Ping, a Chinese businessman, operates companies in South Africa and China and has done business with President Robert Mugabe's family before.
But the First Family and Ping fell out after the Chinese businessman allegedly fleeced the 87-year-old leader's wife, Grace, out of $1-million after being contracted to buy her six new haulage trucks from South Africa.
Court papers seen by the Sunday Times show that the First Family had through its aide, Olga Bungu, contracted Ping to buy the haulage trucks, using $1-million which the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe transferred to Ping's account in South Africa in 1998.
The bank, through its official Mirirai Chiremba, has confirmed that the money was transferred to Ping. But Ping denies he received the money.
The trucks were never delivered and the First Family has been trying to have Ping extradited. The matter is now before the South African courts.
Last month, Ping is said to have sent four South African drivers to deliver three haulage trucks to the First Family, but they were arrested and charged with fraud.
The trucks came on temporary import permits and were old, whereas the First Family was expecting new trucks.
Bungu filed affidavits in court claiming that she was unemployed and wanted to buy the trucks to start a haulage business, but evidence gathered by the Sunday Times shows that she works for Grace Mugabe as an aide.
Zuma is said to have questioned the source of the $1-million, especially after it had been transferred from the reserve bankaccount, but the South African president was reportedly provided with evidence that the First Family held an account with the central bank, according to South African embassy officials in Harare who spoke to the Sunday Times.
The officials explained that Zuma came into the picture as the First Family had allegedly asked for assistance in tracing Ping to recover their money.
The South African president is said to have advised that the case should go through the court process.
While the Mugabes are trying to recover their money, the four drivers are holed up at an undisclosed location and must report to police daily.
They were initially granted $500 bail each, but the immigration department ordered them to stay in prison, claiming they were illegal immigrants.
Their lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, approached the High Court, which eventually released them on bail.
Said Mtetwa: "The court says the four South Africans must stay in Zimbabwe until Ping is extradited. I am, however, appealing against the decision to force them to stay in Zimbabwe."
Source - Times
