Gono sucked into $6m bribery scandal
By Staff Writer
HARARE – Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono has been sucked into the raging $6 million diamond bribery case involving William Ato Essien and ex-ZMDC chairman Goodwills Masimirembwa amid allegations that he is the one who took the Ghanaian investor to President Robert Mugabe.
This also comes as the Central Bank chief has reportedly been lobbying for an extension to his current controversial tenure at the Zimbabwean apex bank.
“For all this hullaballoo, Gono is the one who started it after misinforming Mugabe and we understand he took Essien to the old man after cabinet inauguration,” said a source familiar with the development.
While the motive of his actions is still unknown, he thought he was roasting Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri and former Mines minister Obert Mpofu – two individuals he reportedly has a gripe against.
“You know him that he is in the habit of shooting from the hip and, instead of focussing on anti-money laundering issues since Essien claims to have brought in a bagful of money, Gono is at the forefront of defending these dodgy Gye Nyame Resources guys,” they added.
And as the bribery saga continues to play out, the 89 year-old leader’s government is on tenterhooks on whether to prosecute Masimirembwa in the absence of a formal complaint from the Ghanaians who claimed to have handed ZMDC bigwigs some cash.
The scandalous issue broke out when Mugabe told a parliamentary luncheon about three weeks ago that officials from the state-owned mining conglomerate were soliciting bribes from investors.
