CENTRAL Intelligence Organisation boss, Happyton Bonyongwa and the central bank governor, Gideon Gono, have filed multi-million dollar suits for damages following claims they were at the centre of diamond smuggling at the country.
Bonyonga is demanding US$10 million from Africa Consolidated Resources (ACR) chief executive, Andrew Cranswick while Gono has slapped The Standard newspaper with a US$12.5 million dollar damages claim.
The claims come in the wake of another US$15 million damages suit filed against The Standard by President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace.
The three were fingered in classified communications from the US embassy in Harare which have been made public by the whistle-blowing website, WikiLeaks.
In one of the cables the US Ambassador to Zimbabwe wrote: “RBZ Governor Gideon Gono, Grace Mugabe, wife of President Robert Mugabe, Vice President Joice Mujuru, (the then) Mines and Mining Development Minister Amos Midzi, General Constantine Chiwenga and wife Jocelyn, CIO director Happyton Bonyongwe, Manicaland Governor Chris Mushohwe and several white Zimbabweans including Ken Sharpe, Greg Scott and Hendrick O’Neill, are involved in the Marange diamond trade".
The envoy said he had been informed of the officials' involvement in illicit diamond deals by Cranswick.
Gono and Grace Mugabe are suing The Standard for stories published in the newspaper which were based on the leaks.
Gono’s lawyer, George Chikumbirike, who is also representing Grace Mugabe, said The Standard’s reports were “false and highly defamatory of the Governor”.
However, Bonyongwa is demanding restitution directly from Cranswick, who was said to be the source of the allegations.
Joseph Mafusire of Harare law firm Scanlen and Holderness said claims his client was onvolved in diamond smuggling were false adding the reports had damaged Bonyongwa’s fame and reputation.
"Our client was never involved in any trade in diamonds from Chiadzwa or anywhere else. He has not been involved in any mineral of whatever kind in Zimbabwe or elsewhere," Mafusire said in his letter of demand.
Mafusire demanded that Cranswick pay his client US$10 million in damages within five days failing which summons would be issued out at the High Court.
Cranswick was not immediately available for comment but when the cables were released the ACR boss claimed he had not given any of the names published by WikiLeaks adding that he had “never met any US officials”.