Mutare – A Zimbabwean woman has been arrested after being found with 10 carats of diamonds stashed in her underwear, says a report.
According to New Zimbabwe.com, Happiness Chikwenje was arrested after being lured to the home of Lebanese businessman Sleiman Ahmad by police.
The police were carrying out a raid when the accused made a call claiming to be in possession of diamonds that she wanted to sell.
She allegedly arrived at the scene after the police had discovered a diamond detecting machine and $15 500, suspected to be the earnings of illegal diamond sales.
Both Ahmad, 63, and Chikwenje were released on $1000 bail after appearing at the Harare Magistrate's Court last Saturday.
Syndicate
Ahmad is believed to be part of a syndicate, which includes security guards and CCTV operators, that deals in diamonds between Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Reports have indicated that Zimbabwe has lost more than $15bn in diamond revenue over a 10 year period.
In February 2016, then president Robert Mugabe revealed that billions of dollars worth of diamonds were looted in the eastern mining area of Marange.
Mugabe said at the time that the state treasury received less than $2 billion, according to reports.
Mugabe's revelation prompted the country's opposition parties to call for a thorough investigation into the disappearance of the diamonds.
Movement for Democratic Change spokesperson Obert Gutu said the disappearance of the diamonds was "very astounding and startling".
According to the Voice of America, former minister of finance Tendai Biti, who is now the leader of the opposition People's Democratic Party, claimed that Mugabe knew about the "loot" as he had always furnished him with all relevant information.
Biti was finance minister during Zimbabwe's Government of National Unity (GNU).
Biti said instead of opening a probe into the alleged looting, Mugabe set on that information, asking why he [Biti] was curious about diamonds instead of platinum.
"These are words and sound bytes of a hypocrite and a dishonest person. When I was in government I gave him the figures. I gave him the statistics. I gave him the secret reports produced in Brussels. I gave him the secret report produced by Kimberley Process," Biti was quoted as saying at the time.
