The trawling for assets held by Mugabe’s cronies abroad came as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he had instructed his Treasury to search high and low for any assets held by those close to the Mugabe regime.
Pressure was also rising inexorably on the Mugabe regime, with the African Union getting increasingly restless about the mounting crisis in Zimbabwe. SADC’s point man in resolving the Zimbabwe crisis, South African President Thabo Mbeki, was due to meet Jean Ping, the AU’s most senior permanent AU official in Pretoria on Friday for a full briefing on the inter-party talks – which resumed yesterday after breaking last weekend – with little progress noted so far.
Mbeki’s spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga on Tuesday confirmed the meeting to The Zimbabwean saying “the President is meeting Mr Ping to brief him on the Zimbabwe facilitation process.”
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has demanded that Ping be included in an expanded mediation team.
While fresh United Nations sanctions against the Zimbabwe’s leadership was vetoed by Russia and China last Saturday, the US, which backed the UN resolution, has vowed to press for fresh targeted sanctions by rallying nine of the 15 Security Council members who supported the bid.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement: “The United States will speak to like-minded countries, in Europe and around the world, to see what we might do to keep the focus on the issue of Zimbabwe.”
The Zimbabwean understands that Swiss banks, notorious for their secrecy, were ordered by their government this week to open up their books for inspection and to identify any assets held by Mugabe and his cronies.
Senior officials in the Switzerland’s economic ministry said this week Swiss banks had not yet identified any assets or foreign accounts in that country that belonged to Mugabe or any of his cronies but it was early days and the probe was continuing.
Officials were also aware that some of the suspected assets could be hidden in the names of other people such as relatives, but concerted efforts were underway to expose such cases.
The Swiss government invited its attorney general to investigate any suspicions that banks or officials could be working in cahoots with the targeted Zimbabweans to hide some money or to export it out of that country.
Several Western governments were also taking steps to identify children and close relatives of Mugabe’s cronies for immediate deportation back to Zimbabwe.
Among the Zimbabwean generals listed by the Swiss government in a list made available are Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Constantine Chiwenga, Air Marshal Perence Shiri, Central Intelligence Organisation director-general Happyton Bonyongwe, Police Commisioner-General Augustine Chihuri and Prisons head Paradzai Zimondi. Several ministers and government officials are on the list.
Post published in: News