News - Africa: Zimbabwe's Mujuru linked to illegal gold sale

London - Zimbabwe's Vice-President Joyce Mujuru was involved in an effort to sell gold from DR Congo on the international market despite European sanctions, a trading company alleged on Tuesday.

Mujuru's daughter, Nyasha del Campo, tried to sell 3.7 tonnes of gold which could be worth up to $92.5-million (R925 million) last November, Bernd Hagemann, vice-president of Firstar Europe, told AFP.

When his firm refused to do the deal and put those allegedly involved on its blacklist, Mujuru made a menacing phone call to him, Hagemann claimed.

Hagemann said Firstar Europe had been contacted by a broker in Madrid about a possible deal, which was then referred to its due diligence department.



Del Campo had repeatedly stressed that funding for the deal would come from her mother, whose identity the firm was then unaware of, he said.

"We didn't know at this time that she was the daughter of the vice-president of Zimbabwe. She said all the time 'my mother will pay that,'" Hagemann said.

"After the documents came back from due diligence, I saw them and I saw also the result of the due diligence, it was very high crime people all involved".

Mujuru and her husband are on a European Union sanctions list issued in 2004 due to human rights violations.

The firm told del Campo that it could not accept the gold, which he said came from the eastern Democatic Republic of Congo -- wracked by fighting between government and rebel forces in recent months, although now working towards a peace deal.

Those allegedly involved were subsequently blacklisted by the firm.

Mujuru herself also made a sinister phone call to the company, based in Warrington, northwest England, Hagemann claimed.

"Mrs Mujuru phoned me and she said to me -- it was a very short call --if you don't put my daughter and me out of the blacklist, I will give an order that someone will visit you," he said, adding there had been no threats or violence since.

Asked why the firm had decided to publicise its allegations, Hagemann said he wanted to deter people who wanted to sell gold illegally.

"We are a totally legal dealer and we cannot accept criminal things," he added.

The firm has published documents relating to the alleged affair on its website.

There was no immediate reaction from Mujuru to the allegations. The BBC reported that del Campo declined to comment and is consulting her lawyers. - Sapa-AFP

Source Url: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=nw20090224190234484C824599

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