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The wife of the Zimbabwean president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has allegedly been linked to a gold smuggling case.
- The six kilograms of gold were found in the possession of chief miner Henrietta Rushwaya.
- Rushwaya was arrested at Harare airport last month as she was about to board a flight to Dubai.
- President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s wife, Auxillia, and their son Collins, have been mentioned as possible owners of the gold.
Zimbabwe’s first lady has denied any involvement in an alleged attempt to smuggle gold out of the country, after her name appeared on court documents in the case.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s wife, Auxillia, and their son Collins were named last Friday as possible owners of six kilograms of gold found in the possession of chief miner Henrietta Rushwaya as she tried to leave the country.
The leader of the Zimbabwe Federation of Miners was captured at Harare airport on October 26 as she was about to board a flight to Dubai and arrested there.
Six other people, including state security officials stationed at the airport, have been arrested in the case.
“I have no dealings or involvement with Ms. Henrietta Rushwaya of any illegal kind,” Auxillia said in a statement Sunday.
“If there is any incriminating evidence against me, I challenge the police to present it to the nation without fear or favor,” he said.
“I serve the interests of my nation and … I do not engage in narrow-minded illegal activities such as gold smuggling.”
The names of the first family emerged during questioning of Rushwaya and the airport officials who assisted her.
READ | Zimbabwean chief miner arrested at airport for ‘attempting to smuggle gold’
Intelligence agents have been accused of helping her evade security checks by quickly taking her down the diplomatic route.
But civil aviation officials intercepted the traveler and forced her to go through standard security checks that collected the gold in her carry-on luggage.
During questioning, the suspects said Collins was the person who was supposed to have exported the gold to Dubai.
The first family has vehemently denied the allegations, claiming that their names were deliberately used to evade prosecution.
Rushwaya is still awaiting a decision on her bail request.
His arrest comes as the Zimbabwean authorities fight a wave of gold smuggling that amounts to about $ 100 million (€ 86 million) a month.
State prosecutor Garudzo Siyadhuma last week described the case as “a classic example of organized crime” and said the “union network” was probably “broader.”
