By Lance Guma
Controversial Zimbabwean First Lady Grace Mugabe bought a diamond ring worth US$1,3 million from a Lebanese diamond dealer, Jamal Ahmed, in Dubai last year. The deal has however gone sour after President Robert Mugabe’s wife decided she no longer wanted the ring and is now demanding a refund.
The First Lady has since seized three Harare properties, one in Pomona and two in Avondale which belong to the dealer, a matter that has now been taken to the High Court.
According to court documents seen by Nehanda Radio, Grace paid for the ring in full using a Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe account and US$1,350,000 was wired to Dubai. After the ring was delivered Grace decided she did not want it and demanded her money back.
In response the dealer, who has homes in Harare, explained that he had paid for the ring to a third party and needed time to raise the money. Grace was having none of this and demanded that the money is paid into her Dubai account. That’s when the trouble started.
Ahmed maintains “any refund would have to be done in Harare through the account from which the original funds had come as a refund in Dubai could easily be seen as an externalisation of funds and I did not want to be party to anything that would appear illegal.”
The matter quickly escalated with the First Lady sending armed men to invade three of the dealers properties in Pomona and two in Avondale, Harare. His workers were kicked out. The First Lady’s son in law and her son from the first marriage Russell Goreraza threatened the dealer with all sorts of messages before taking over his properties.
The dealer has now approached the High Court to intervene and get the First Lady to leave his properties. His court application cites, Grace Mugabe, son Russell Goreraza and bodyguard Kennedy Fero. Ahmed says he received a message from Grace telling him;
“Please serve those papers in my name. Don’t involve my son it won’t help. Whoever is advising you will just take money from you unfortunately. All I need is my money instead of doing things that you will regret about”.
Explaining the background of the case Ahmed said; “Sometime in April 2015, (Grace Mugabe) the 2nd Respondent placed an order for a diamond with my daughter in Dubai which she indicated her husband wanted to buy her for their anniversary.”
“As the diamond was not readily available, it had to be sourced from a third party who wanted to be paid upfront and when this was advised to the 2nd Respondent, she indicated that she was in Singapore and could not immediately pay and that we could pay on her behalf in Harare and she would refund the amount. This was done.”
“Thereafter, and with her approval, the diamond had to be polished by a third party who also needed to be paid and again we made this payment on the basis that she would refund these payments as she authorised the polishing by a third party.
“Upon her return to Harare, the 2nd Respondent instructed CBZ BANK to attend to the transfer of the US$1,350,000.00 (one million three hundred and fifty thousand United States dollars), being the purchase price for the finished diamond, which amount took time to transfer as it had become difficult to transfer money out of Zimbabwe. The transfer was ultimately done in 2016 and the diamond was tendered to the 2nd Respondent in Dubai.”
“Surprisingly, the 2nd Respondent then refused to take delivery of the diamond and instead demanded a full refund in Dubai,” Ahmed explained in his court papers. He says despite offering a payment plan the First Lady has proceeded to seize his three properties.
“Respondents commenced a reign of terror and harassment where I was verbally threatened, harassed, insulted and told that I could not do anything to them as they are in fact “Zimbabwe”. Threats of taking over my properties in Zimbabwe were also made and the Respondents were joined in these abuses by the 2nd Respondent’s son in-law.”
“My father was at the time unwell in Belgium and he subsequently died resulting in me having to travel to Belgium on the ……… , 2016. It was during my stay in Belgium that I received reports on the 14th October, 2016 that the Respondents had forcibly taken control of the three immovable properties,” Ahmed said in his court papers.
The case throws a spotlight into the finances of the First Family. After claiming that their Alpha Omega Dairy was struggling under debts, it will astonish many that the President could afford to splash out $1,3 million on a diamond ring for their wedding anniversary.
The case might also explain President Mugabe’s reluctance to have Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo (a key G40 faction ally) face charges for allegedly looting nearly $500 000 from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef). Nehanda Radio
COMMENTS
The madness, maliciousness and greed of this woman is almost unbelievable.
Of course we will not talk about her lack of even the basics of business sense, as this is well known. Especially when we think of her many other failed attempts to enter the business world’s big league…like her milk business that went sour, like her buying that Hong Kong house that she paid for, and then was taken from her etc.
First of all we have to ask ourselves where did she get US$ 1 300 000.00 in the first place, for the diamond ring. (Why do I now think of that old saying about putting lipstick on a pig…or was that something about throwing pearls to swine?). US $ 1 3000 00.00? Especially when her husband would want us to believe that he earns a paltry salary as President, and suffers along with most other Zimbabweans. Well of course, we always knew that was a lie.
But the rich are really careless. In one place they put the cost of the ring at US$ 1 300 000.00 and then elsewhere at US$ 1 350 000.00. But what is a paltry US $ 50 000.00 to our amazing Grace…chicken feed. Especially when her husband has managed to steal a reported US $ 15 000 000 000.00 from Zimbabwe’s diamond fields.
But I guess we must just see the funny side of this crazy situation. Can you imagine Grace’s pilot son in law Simba, and her layabout son Russell Gonorrhea from her first marriage meeting the servants at the two houses in Avondale, and the one in Pomona. Servants, “Yes gentlemen what do you want?”. They, “Our mummy has sent us to take over these houses as that ring you sold her she no longer likes”. Servants, “Just wait a minute, I must phone Mr. Ahmed in Dubai”. They, “Tsek!, no man, just hand over the houses”. Simba, “Be quick, I have our national airline to run, while you are wasting my time!”…
It must have been better than any comedy that we have seen on TV.
I wonder why over the years the learned but overly gullible Zimboz have failed to understand the open fact that the Prince of Demons in Zim-land is none other than the good for nothing old man himself. Yes, Robert is good for nothing; & not good at anything positive accept killing & stealing. nxaaaa. Surprise, some have already started accusing dis-Garce as the chief culprit yet its overly clear who the arch-thief is amongst the zanu pf thieves. Getting me right, Dis-grace is not clean but is a much lesser devil than her male gangster partner
ITALIAN Mafia family chaiyo.Kuna Boss,Boss Lady,Boss Sons kozouya mabody guads tuma enforcer twamudhara,Zvakaoma danga ndirini zvangu.Thus living kurarama chaiko vamwe vachisuffer
If this doesn’t explain to anyone where Zim’s missing $15 billion are then nothing will ever tell such brainless idiots where our money went. To anyone processing just a piece of the brown stuff that qualify to be called brain; then the issue is now an open secrete. Mari yedu ina amai nababa nemhuri yavo. That can no longer be in question. In fact, they honestly mean it when they say “We are Zimbabwe”. Can that statement ever be faulted when Zimbabwe is now literally an empty shell while everything that used to belong to it now belongs to them? perfectly truly, true.
Zimbabweans we are good at criticizing , we know how to criticize without action, now we are just criticizing again, this is corruption why still moaning every time, you already accepted the situation and this is the way it is till regime change.
Tsvangirai can not be trusted because is just the same with these corrupt people, they have properties every where especially in the Western world their children are going to private schools and in the east they have mansions and you are always moaning crying supporting people lke Tsvangirai! worst of time! they have relatives already in the Western world enjoying a lavish life and you are suffering in a country rich in minerals!
People voted for Tsvangirai and he messed. he became a wominiser with CIO around him he was now a king! forgetting all what he promised people.
Can you try Tendai Biti, Simba Makoni, Dumiso Dabengwa may be the situation can change!
hezvo! waida kuti Tsvangirai anyenge varume here nhaiwe? your obsession with tsvangirai’s failed relationships has a C10 flavour in it. pane asina kumbonyenga zvikakona mberi here? Sue we chosse a leader based on his failed/working personal relatyionships? you are too trivial, c10 boy!
It starts right there right now, with you Vigo to take action and also stop complaining about no action being taken
WELL DONE FORMER POOL TYPIST AND FORMER CHALK DUST INHALING TEACHER. ! YOU ARE NOW FILTHY RICH AT OUR EXPENSE! WHERE IS THE 15 BILLION! YOU KNOW WHERE IT IS. WATCH YOU WILL END UP IN JAIL SOON! GREEDY GUCCI GRACE!
Good grief…..Imelda Marcos could have learnt a thing or two from this evil, patronizing, greedy, thieving b…h. And furthermore, I guess this is just the tip of the iceberg.
GHure ranetsa paZimbabwe irori
Comrade Doctor Grace Mugabe – you must admit she has come along along way from the town of her birth – Benoni, South Africa
You reap what you sow Jamal.
That Lebanese fellow allegedly bribed the Min of Mines Mpofu making that over swollen belly of Mpofus even more disgustingly gross.. .. and also allegedly bribed a high class mahuri who is always making radical statements. … what did he get ?
A right to mine in Marange on mineral rights belonging to a proper investor who would have paid their dues to the nation….. it was a mining right he hardly ever used at all but instead (allegedly) deployed it as a cover to buy and smuggle stolen gems from all over the area to Dubai and Antwerp. No wealth shared with Zimbabwe the nation the rightful owners. No tax paid. No royalties.
He is said to have made millions… hence these ill gitten properties. .. including these to be seized.
The real story is that he must have stopped paying the piper and now he thinks the laws he flouted in the country he robbed (allegedly) must protect him ?
Ask Jamal for his tax returns in Zimbabwe and Lebanon and justify his great wealth….
Filth begets filth. Murambatsvina will come for all you crooked scum who robbed Zimbabwe of its proper wealth in Marange. The loud mahuri is not the only one who will face justice.
Reap the whirwlind.
Can Mugabe explain this to the nation? Where did he get US$1 350 000.00. Instead of buying a ring this could have gone a long way in restocking the much needed medical drugs in gvt hispitals. People are not allowed to send money out of Zimbabwe , just small amounts like $20 , cannot be sent out of Zim. Now talk of a million dollars plus. Mr president isnt this corruption by you and your wife? This was just a plan to externalise the money by mugabe and his wife, why does she want the money in her Dubai account. The law should be applied , both grace and CBZ should be investigated. Humbavha hamunyari imi murimi first family, sveeeeeee matinyadzisa. You might be protected now but one day you shall be required to explain all this .
No we know where all the $100 and $50 dollar notes went to! You see, you would only need one small suitcase to put $1,5million if they are in $100 denominations. The big question: since she was carrying more than $10 000 in cash, did she declare it to the authorities at Harare before departure or to the authorities at Dubai Customs? I think not. A very serious crime, for which, if Zimra was doing its job properly, would have led to confiscation of the loot. But everybody in government and parastatels are involved in the wholesale looting of Zimbabwe. As for Dis-grace: what goes round will always come round. R.I.P Thinking of CBZ Bank – isn’t it amazing who actually is aiding and abetting all this theft of money from this country. Shouldn’t we boycott this bank?
The pig planned this all along. Anyone dealing with the pig deserves what they get.
You Zimbabwean are just a bunch of jokers for accepting your leaders and what they do without doing anything other than whinge. You deserve your leaders so just stop whinging…or do something about it. You are a bunch of weaklings.
Agreed. Said it here many times: the Zimbabwean Shona male is a rank coward.
Couldn’t have said it better myself
pleoples lively hood is just a game to them. Your punishment is awaiting you G & G
and what has proff jonathan has to do with this looting?sathane
If the “First Family” does this, what should the “last families” do?
yawn – just more corruption and scams exposed
“repay the funds to my Dubai account” what a joke.
Criminals
“First”? Read “worst”.
Yaaah do we have a chance at this rate???