Grace Mugabe diamond ring saga takes new twist

LEBANESE businessman Jamal Ahmed, who is entangled an $1,35 million diamond ring wrangle with First Lady Grace Mugabe, has once again refuted claims that he is a fugitive from justice.

He claimed he had nowhere to stay after his properties were seized allegedly by President Robert Mugabe's wife.

Ahmed made the remarks while responding to claims by Officer Commanding Crime, CID Law and Order, Superintendent Nyambo Viera that he was under investigation on several charges.

In his answering affidavit filed on Wednesday this week, Ahmed said Viera "must be one of the most inefficient superintendents in the police force".

"I deny in the strongest possible terms that I am on the run and repeat that I left Harare to attend to my ailing father who subsequently died and that no one from the police had intimated they were interested in me," Ahmed said.

"If as at October 2016 Nyambo Viera, who claims he has been conducting investigations since early 2016, had not even contacted me or attended at any of the premises to collect evidence, he must be the most inefficient superintendent in the entire police force… These are not investigations initiated in early 2016, but investigations by a captured police force in an endeavour to provide cover for the First Lady."

The businessman said he had read "what purports to be the respondent's (police) opposing papers", seeking to deny to be joined in the property seizure matter. Ahmed said he was surprised at the absolute failure by the force to deal with the substance of the application and to provide supporting evidence that the police were investigating him.

"I note, with amazement, that an officer holding the rank of superintendent has not sought to take the court into confidence by clearly setting out what criminal activities he claims to be investigating, when exactly he commenced such investigations, who the complainants are, how far such investigations have progressed etc," Ahmed said.

"I repeat that I am not on the run and the only reason I have not returned to Zimbabwe is that I have been threatened by the First Lady and in any event, I have nowhere to live. With the attitude adopted by the police, there can be no question that her threats are real and that I would get no assistance from the captured police force."

He urged the court to take judicial notice of the fact that every report made to the police was recorded on receipt in the Reports Received Book (RRB) and as such he was challenging Viera to produce the relevant book where the reports were recorded.

"Only joinder would force the respondents (police) to place this documentation before the court. The lack of candour is, therefore, a good ground to join the respondents in the main application," he said.

"…As the courts are obliged to do justice to all, including the police, irrespective of status, it is crucial that the police be before the court to explain the legal basis upon which the claim to have lawfully taken over private property and evicted lawful occupants without any form of due process."

Ahmed also said to allow the police to "glibly hide behind investigation" would make virtually every owner of private property a sitting duck for the police "who can invade any private property, unlawfully kick out lawful occupants and install themselves on such private property rent-free for as long as they require free accommodation".

The businessman reiterated that seizure of his properties was at the instigation of Grace following a botched diamond ring deal.

"I say the illegalities were at the instance of the respondents in the main application as the First Lady and her son (Russel Goreraza) had threatened the takeover of the properties and one of her security personnel admittedly supervised these illegalities," he said.

In February this year, Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri warned, through Viera, Beatrice Mtetwa, Ahmed's lawyer, to desist from interfering with police investigations by allegedly helping Ahmed to play hide-and-seek with the law enforcement agents.

Commenting on Grace's involvement in the matter, Viera said: "The insinuation that the police are acting in concert with the second respondent (Grace Mugabe) in the main case is ludicrous and meritless. The police are carrying out their mandate by investigating cases in which the second respondent in the main case is a complainant."

The matter is still pending.