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Chihuri, Mohadi face grilling over missing $15 billion

by Staff rpeorter
09 Apr 2018 at 07:29hrs | Views
FIREWORKS are expected in Parliament today, when Vice-President Kembo Mohadi, Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa and former police boss, Augustine Chihuri face grilling from the Temba Mliswa-led Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy over the missing $15 billion diamond revenue.

The committee has summoned Mohadi, who is the former Home Affairs and State Security minister, Chinamasa, Chihuri, current Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga, Home Affairs ministry secretary, Melusi Matshiya, and his Defence counterpart, Martin Rushwaya to set the record straight on the matter.

Chinamasa recently rubbished claims by former President Robert Mugabe that the country could not account for the diamond revenue.

In February 2016, Mugabe announced that about $15 billion was missing from diamond revenues.

This created a lot of controversy surrounding the matter, but Mugabe did not substantiate his claims, resulting in protests over the issue and many failed attempts to investigate the allegations.

Mliswa said Mugabe himself would be summoned to appear before the committee to speak on his allegations.

The police, Central Intelligence Organisation and the army were said to have been mining in Chiadzwa after being given concessions, yet their contributions to the fiscus remain unkhown.

Matanga recently appeared before the same committee and professed ignorance over alleged ZRP shares in Gye Nyame, saying Chihuri would be the best person to answer that issue.

This came as the parliamentary committee indicated it was failing to locate Chihuri.

Former Finance minister Tendai Biti had also been invited to give his side of the story on diamond revenue, but is unlikely to appear before the committee after giving an apology.

Finance ministry secretary, Willard Manungo, former Mines secretary, Francis Gudyanga and Thankful Musukutwa, new Central Intelligence Organisation boss, Ambassador Isaac Moyo, and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority Commissioner-General, Faith Mazani and several other players in the diamond industry, including diamond miners are also set to appear before the committee.

Source - newsday