Zimbabwe corruption whistle blower demands $30b

Zimbabwe corruption whistle blower demands $30b

PAY-UP: Gono has asked the whistle blower to be patient

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By Vincent Kahiya

THE man who blew the whistle on key business and political figures resulting in their arrests this year is demanding more than $30 billion from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) for his efforts.

He claims the RBZ has been withholding his bounty after he helped the police to nab high profile individuals.
The estimated prejudice to the state as a result of their alleged fraudulent activities amounts to $310 billion. The whistle blower is entitled to 10%.

The elderly man, whom the Zimbabwe Independent cannot name, said he had to leave South Africa where he was based to avoid harm following his disclosures. He worked for one of the accused, Cecil Muderede, at a transport company called Nemini in South Africa between April last year and February this year. He also worked for Africa Resources Ltd's transport division, Petter International, as a senior manager until October 2001.

Yesterday RBZ governor Gideon Gono's spokesman Fortune Chasi confirmed the central bank had indeed received information from the whistle blower.
"With regards to the individual in question, we do confirm that he has been a substantial source of high-profile information which has led to the situation currently receiving attention by the police and other law enforcement agents," said Chasi.

He said the RBZ would pay the whistle blower as soon as the cases in the courts were finalised.

"We are as anxious to get to the finality of the matters as he (the whistle blower) wants to get payment," he said. "We however request him to be patient with us until the cases have been finalised," he said.

Senior RBZ officials this week said the man had an "arsenal of information" which he passed on to the police, the Central Intelligence Organisation and the central bank.

"Most of the information he gave us was credible," a senior RBZ official said. "The RBZ has a mandate to help police to verify and cross-check such information. We found the information to be useful."

The man, who is now in the United Kingdom, claims to have blown the whistle on businessman and Zanu PF Central Committee member James Makamba and his cellphone company Telecel.

Makamba is currently in remand prison on charges of externalising US$133 000, £225 650 and 52 956 euros.

The informer said he was also the whistle blower in the Mutumwa Mawere case resulting in attempts to extradite the businessman from South Africa on charges of externalising $300 billion.

He blew the whistle on Muderede, who is being jointly charged with Irvin Mereki and Terrence Mutasa for externalising more than US$1,3 million and R700 000.
Muderede is also facing 21 counts of defrauding the Grain Marketing Board of 7 915 metric tonnes of grain valued at more than $63 million.

In his monetary policy statement on December 18 last year, Gono announced the setting up of a whistle blower's fund from which informers with credible information would get 10% of the amount recovered by the state in commercial crime cases.
The man said he came to Zimbabwe on January 14 this year and met with
Gono, Anti-Corruption minister Didymus Mutasa and senior police officers.

He claims to have been booked into Meikles Hotel. He said Gono's personal driver picked him up from the hotel the next day for a meeting with the governor.
He claims to have met President Robert Mugabe on January 16 to present startling revelations about suspected foreign currency violations by prominent figures.

He returned to Zimbabwe on February 12 and met Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri and State Security minister Nicholas Goche. The meetings, he said, resulted in the dispatch of a team of police officers to South Africa.
"Gono only gave me $4 million in cash and nothing else," he said.
From the Zimbabwe Independent
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