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Ambassador 'directs' break-in at Canadian diplomat's house in Zimbabwe
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Canada's ambassador to Zimbabwe, Adler Aristilde
A Canadian diplomat, Jennifer Lee Boudreau, walked into Marlborough Police Station in Harare on December 11 to file an unusual complaint involving a break-in at her residence. The alleged break-in was said to have been authorized by Canada's ambassador to Zimbabwe, Adler Aristilde.
According to Boudreau, she arrived at her home on Quorn Avenue in Mt Pleasant around 4 PM on December 6 and immediately noticed something was amiss. The wardrobe door was open, and upon investigation, she summoned her security guard, Last Murapa, who initially claimed to know nothing about the situation but later changed his story.
Murapa reportedly told Boudreau that on the morning of December 6, around 10:30 AM, while she was at work, the embassy's regional security manager, Franis Limbikani, arrived at her property with a duplicate key. Limbikani allegedly used the key to enter Boudreau's apartment and targeted the hard drive from her closed-circuit television (CCTV) system, which was stored inside the wardrobe.
After removing the hard drive, Limbikani reportedly replaced it with a blank one. He then allegedly ordered Murapa not to record his name in the visitor log and instructed him to remain silent about the visit.
Boudreau said she approached Ambassador Aristilde the following day, December 7, to report the incident. To her shock, Aristilde not only knew about the unlawful entry but confirmed that he had directed the action. Boudreau was told that the ambassador had instructed embassy property officer Jennifer Jacob to obtain a duplicate key and retrieve the CCTV hard drive from her apartment. Jacob, in turn, had instructed Limbikani to carry out the task.
Boudreau reported the incident to Canada's foreign office, which acknowledged receipt of the complaint and promised to initiate an investigation. However, following delays in the investigation, Boudreau made her report to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) on December 11, leading to an official investigation.
The police are currently treating the incident as a case of “unlawful entry in aggravating circumstances," and investigations are ongoing.
This surprising development has raised questions about the embassy's conduct and the involvement of high-ranking diplomatic officials in the alleged unlawful act.
According to Boudreau, she arrived at her home on Quorn Avenue in Mt Pleasant around 4 PM on December 6 and immediately noticed something was amiss. The wardrobe door was open, and upon investigation, she summoned her security guard, Last Murapa, who initially claimed to know nothing about the situation but later changed his story.
Murapa reportedly told Boudreau that on the morning of December 6, around 10:30 AM, while she was at work, the embassy's regional security manager, Franis Limbikani, arrived at her property with a duplicate key. Limbikani allegedly used the key to enter Boudreau's apartment and targeted the hard drive from her closed-circuit television (CCTV) system, which was stored inside the wardrobe.
After removing the hard drive, Limbikani reportedly replaced it with a blank one. He then allegedly ordered Murapa not to record his name in the visitor log and instructed him to remain silent about the visit.
Boudreau said she approached Ambassador Aristilde the following day, December 7, to report the incident. To her shock, Aristilde not only knew about the unlawful entry but confirmed that he had directed the action. Boudreau was told that the ambassador had instructed embassy property officer Jennifer Jacob to obtain a duplicate key and retrieve the CCTV hard drive from her apartment. Jacob, in turn, had instructed Limbikani to carry out the task.
Boudreau reported the incident to Canada's foreign office, which acknowledged receipt of the complaint and promised to initiate an investigation. However, following delays in the investigation, Boudreau made her report to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) on December 11, leading to an official investigation.
The police are currently treating the incident as a case of “unlawful entry in aggravating circumstances," and investigations are ongoing.
This surprising development has raised questions about the embassy's conduct and the involvement of high-ranking diplomatic officials in the alleged unlawful act.
Source - ZimLive
