A Court official says they were given strict instructions to treat the case in utmost confidence, but it was not immediately clear who had given the directive and for what reasons. There is speculation that the case involves high level politicians and captains of industry and could open a can of worms regarding fraudulent dealings in the local diamond trade, especially where foreign dealers are concerned.
A reliable source privy to the case has revealed to The Zimbabwean that Mackie Diamonds, based in Belgium and fronted by Ali Mackie, early this year indicated to Anjin that it intended to bid for gems.
Anjin management reportedly advised Mackie to deposit an advance of $10 million for him to be considered as a bidder at the next auction. He complied.
“The money was deposited into Anjin’s BancABC account in Harare but Mackie’s bid failed so they demanded a refund. It is unclear why Anjin instructed him to deposit the money before a formal bidding process and why Mackie took the risk of doing so,” said the source.
Despite Anjin advising BancABC to release the money, Mackie never received it and (via Venturas and Samkange law firm) lodged a civil case at the High Court, which he won.
“The High Court ordered BancABC to return the money but they did not. The Sheriff was granted an order to attach the bank’s property, but BancABC made an urgent Supreme Court application to stop it,” revealed the source.
BancABC appealed for the case to be heard in chambers, thus the file does not appear on the court roll.
A source inside the bank said the case was “very sensitive” and officers from the police Criminal Investigation Department had visited BancABC to carry out criminal investigations, but backtracked under unclear circumstances.
A legal practitioner at Venturas and Samkange expressed surprise at how this newspaper had learnt of the case and advised that it was not for public consumption.
Jonathan Samkange, a senior partner, said: “I don’t know anything about a case involving Anjin and BancABC”.
Mackie’s secretary in Belgium, who identified herself as Nancy, told The Zimbabwean by phone that her boss was out of the office but would respond to e-mailed questions. No response was supplied by the time of going to print.
BancABC and Anjin declined to comment, saying the matter was sub judice.
Anjin is one of the five companies mining diamonds in the 60,000 hectare Marange fields. It is believed to be 90 percent owned by the Chinese and 10 percent by the government through the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation.
Recently, deputy Mines Minister Gift Chimanikire told this newspaper that most of the diamonds were being bartered and expressed the worry that the country was being short-changed as the gems were probably undervalued.
Post published in: News