Coming after you, Mugabe warns own henchmen

You can run but you can't hide, Mugabe warns own henchmen

CHIYANGWA

• Chiyangwa arrested

• Msika warns Chiyangwa

• Chiyangwa threatens cop in court

• Chiyangwa implicated in ENG scandal

• ENG directors charged with fraud

• Banks face collapse

• End of era for forex dealers

• Gono new RBZ governor

• Tea boy to national purse

By Staff Reporter
17/01/04
ZIMBABWE'S President Robert Mugabe says his government's crackdown on fraudsters, some of whom have already been arrested, is just the start of an all-out drive against all economic offenders.

Referring to the arrests of a top official from the ruling party as well as several businessmen accused of involvement in a Z$61bnr (US$13.5m) fraud, Mugabe said: "We are not finished yet, this is just the beginning".

"We will get them all," he said, speaking in the Shona language on Thursday at a function at his old school in Zvimba, a rural district 80km west of the capital. The speech was aired on state television on Friday.

Phillip Chiyangwa, a legislator, who is also chair of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) party in Mashonaland West province, was arrested last week as part of investigations into an asset management company.

Chiyangwa is also a high-flying businessman. A magistrate's court has turned down Chiyangwa's application to be freed from police holding cells on remand.

The High Court was expected later on Friday to make a ruling on an urgent application by Chiyangwa's lawyers seeking his release.

Chiyangwa's lawyers had earlier alleged that his arrest was linked to a row among ruling party officials over who will succeed Mugabe.

He was arrested for allegedly hiding evidence in a bid to protect the top management of the ENG asset management company, accused of defrauding investors.

In their investigations, police say they seized 30 luxury vehicles, including an off-road Porsche, which the state-run Herald newspaper said was believed to be one of only three in Africa. Most of the cars are top-of-the-range BMWs and Mercedes Benz.

Meanwhile The Herald's Tsitsi Matope reports that police suspect most of the 30 vehicles impounded following the arrest of businessman Philip Chiyangwa and two directors of ENG Capital Asset Management may have been stolen or were smuggled into Zimbabwe.

As three more posh vehicles were recovered yesterday, bringing the total seized in the case to 30, special investigation officers from the Southerton Police Vehicle Theft Squad and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officials found strong evidence that some chassis numbers had been tampered with.

Some chassis numbers had been rubbed off while other identification numbers engraved on windows were tampered with. A BMW Z4 and a BMWX5 both shared the same registration number, 836-626A. An official from Zimra said there had been cases of people importing the latest model vehicles evading duty by using old registration numbers. Zimra officials were expected to ensure that all vehicles imported into the country were brought in lawfully, and the investigation is likely to now widen to include those who let the cars through.

Specialists from the Southerton Vehicle Theft Squad said some chassis tags that should have been stencilled or done through computerised punching were suspiciously marked while some figures were not clear, that was unlikely with new cars. In some cases two differently numbered tags were detected on a single vehicle.

"Usually numbers on Toyota Prados are so visible that one does not have to get a light to see them. I wonder why these ones are not clear," a police officer said indicating some numbers. Most of the vehicles were recovered from the homes of Watyoka, Muponda and Chiyangwa or from the houses of their friends and relatives or from garages of acquaintances.

One of the cars, a unique Cayenne S from Germany, which is believed to be one of the only three in Africa, had two different chassis numbers.

"There definitely is an anomaly with this unique car," said an officer from the Vehicle Theft Squad (VTS).

The vehicle is one of those the officers want a specialised mechanic to examine. He would be able to unseal the engine and detect other functions in the absence of a manual.

Police also had problems trying to examine a metallic BMW 530d with seats that can be adjusted into different shapes. "We understand there are only 50 cars of this type in the whole world and most of them are found in some oil-rich Arab countries. We are not able to probe this one further as it is complicated.
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