100 o 300 Milioni di Marange Diamonds From Zimbabwe scomparsi
Cento milioni o trecento milioni, dipende da chi si crede.
According to an article in the Zimbabwe Standard posted on February 13th, oltre $100 milioni di dollari di diamanti sono presumibilmente scomparsi.
Tuttavia, in un altro articolo, il Times Live reports that the real total is 300 milione. Il ministro delle Finanze, Tendai Biti, noted that the recent diamond sales have “lacked transparency.”
The Standard article reports that Zimbabwe had two diamond auctions last year, sponsored by the Kimberley Process Certification. Tuttavia, there was also third auction that was secretly held and only came to light when Mugabe promised to give $250 million to civil servants.
The missing funds were from that third auction. The article did not reveal who the buyers at that auction were.
According to insiders familiar with the situation in Zimbabwe, the theft of large amounts of money is common. What is not typical is that this type of evidence actually appeared in the press.
There was speculation in the Standard article that Mugabe’s political party used the diamonds to fund election campaigns.
***
Please Note:
FJA is a forum open to a diversity of opinions in support of its mission. Any editorial expressed in this article represents the opinion of the author, and not necessarily the views of Fair Jewelry Action members.
