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Mugabe had assets worth more than US$1 billion in 2001- Wikileaks

The United States embassy said though the full extent of President Robert Mugabe’s assets was not known, they were rumoured to exceed US$1 billion in 2001, the majority of which were likely to be invested outside Zimbabwe, according to a cable released by Wikileaks.

Although Mugabe’s wealth and that of his lieutenants were all based on rumours and the embassy had no reliable information, the cable, which was dispatched on 29 August 2001 was marked secret.

It said inside Zimbabwe, Mugabe’s assets were reported to be in the form of real property. He and his wife had six residences, including a multi-storey mansion that was still under construction in Harare. He was also said to have a number of farms around the country.

“Post has no reliable information on, nor the resources or expertise to determine, the nature and extent of Mugabe’s overseas assets. They are rumoured to include everything from secret accounts in Switzerland, the Channel Islands, and the Bahamas to castles in Scotland.”

 

Full cable:

 

Viewing cable 01HARARE2547, ASSETS OF PRESIDENT MUGABE AND SENIOR GOZ AND

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Reference ID

Created

Released

Classification

Origin

01HARARE2547

2001-08-29 12:49

2011-08-30 01:44

SECRET

Embassy Harare

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

 

291249Z Aug 01

 

 

SECRET       PTQ2521

 

PAGE 01       HARARE 02547 01 OF 02 291300Z

ACTION AF-00

 

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   ACQ-00   CIAE-00 INL-00   DODE-00 DOTE-00

SRPP-00 DS-00   EB-00   EUR-00   FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00

H-01     TEDE-00 INR-00   L-00     VCE-00   MMP-00   AC-01

NSAE-00 OIG-03   OMB-01   PA-00   PM-00   PRS-00   ACE-00

P-00     SP-00   TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00   DSCC-00 LBA-00

PRM-01   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00 SAS-00   SWCI-00   /009W

——————1842A8 291300Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9578

INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 002547

 

SIPDIS

 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/29/11

TAGS: PGOV PINR PGOV PINR ZI

SUBJECT: ASSETS OF PRESIDENT MUGABE AND SENIOR GOZ AND

RULING PARTY LEADERS (C-TN1-01067)

 

REF: A) HARARE 2379, B) STATE 141230

 

SECRET

 

PAGE 02       HARARE 02547 01 OF 02 291300Z

 

CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL OFFICER TODD FAULK FOR REASONS:

1.5 (B) AND (D).

 

1. (C) BELOW ARE EMBASSY HARARE’S RESPONSES TO REF B

TASKING QUESTIONS:

 

A. (S) THE FULL EXTENT OF PRESIDENT MUGABE’S ASSETS ARE

UNKNOWN, BUT ARE RUMORED TO EXCEED US$1 BILLION IN

VALUE, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE LIKELY INVESTED OUTSIDE

ZIMBABWE. INSIDE ZIMBABWE, THE BULK OF MUGABE’S ASSETS

ARE REPORTED TO BE IN THE FORM OF REAL PROPERTY — HE

AND HIS WIFE HAVE SIX RESIDENCES, INCLUDING A MULTI-

STORY MANSION STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN HARARE, IN

ADDITION TO A NUMBER OF FARMS AROUND THE COUNTRY.

MUGABE’S NEPHEW, LEO, IS CHAIRMAN OF INTEGRATED

ENGINEERING GROUP, A FIRM THAT RECEIVED THE MULTI-

MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT TO BUILD THE NEW INTERNATIONAL

TERMINAL AT HARARE AIRPORT (THE TERMINAL OPENED TO

TRAFFIC IN APRIL 2001). WE CAN ONLY PRESUME THAT LEO

MUGABE MADE SEVERAL MILLION US DOLLARS, AT LEAST, FROM

THE DEAL.

 

B. (S) POST HAS NO RELIABLE INFORMATION ON, NOR THE

RESOURCES OR EXPERTISE TO DETERMINE, THE NATURE AND

EXTENT OF MUGABE’S OVERSEAS ASSETS. THEY ARE RUMORED TO

INCLUDE EVERYTHING FROM SECRET ACCOUNTS IN SWITZERLAND,

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS, AND THE BAHAMAS TO CASTLES IN

SCOTLAND.

 

C. (S) POST HAS NO FIRM INFORMATION ON THE ASSETS OF

SECRET

 

PAGE 03       HARARE 02547 01 OF 02 291300Z

MUGABE’S ASSOCIATES. SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT MNANGAGWA,

JOHN BREDENKAMP AND BILLY RAUTENBAUCH ARE KNOWN TO BE

MAJOR BENEFICIARIES OF ZIMBABWE’S MILITARY CONTRACTS AND

MINING CONCESSIONS IN THE DRC, AND THEY ARE PRESUMED TO

CHANNEL SOME OF THAT WEALTH TO MUGABE. HOW MUCH WEALTH

IS GENERATED OR HELD BY THESE INDIVIDUALS IS UNKNOWN.

MNANGAGWA IS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF

CONGO AND LIKELY HAS A STAKE IN THE BANK’S MANAGEMENT

CONTRACT WITH A ZIMBABWEAN FIRM. BREDENKAMP’S COMPANY

TREMALT IS REPORTED TO HAVE A 20 PERCENT STAKE IN THE

DRC MINING PARASTATAL GECAMINES, WHICH HAS GRANTED

SUBSTANTIAL MINING CONCESSIONS TO ZIMBABWEAN COMPANIES

CONTROLLED BY ZANU-PF.

 

D. (S) WE HAVE NO INDICATIONS OF SIGNIFICANT MOVEMENTS

OF ASSETS INTO OR OUT OF ZIMBABWE BY GOZ OR ZANU-PF

OFFICIALS.

 

E. (S) WE HAVE NO INFORMATION ON MONEY LAUNDERING

THROUGH BANKS INSIDE OR OUTSIDE ZIMBABWE.

 

F. (S) MUGABE HAS THREE YOUNG CHILDREN (TWO SONS AND A

DAUGHTER) BY HIS CURRENT WIFE GRACE, AND THEY ALL ATTEND

PREPARATORY SCHOOLS IN HARARE. IT IS UNKNOWN WHERE

GRACE’S CHILDREN FROM A PREVIOUS MARRIAGE ATTEND SCHOOL.

JUSTICE MINISTER PATRICK CHINAMASA HAS A DAUGHTER IN A

MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE, AND ANOTHER CHILD IS SOON

PLANNING TO ATTEND AN AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. MNANGAGWA

HAS TWO DAUGHTERS ATTENDING A TEXAS COLLEGE, AND POLICE

COMMISSIONER AUGUSTINE CHIHURI HAS A DAUGHTER IN A TEXAS

COLLEGE AND A SON IN A CALIFORNIA SCHOOL. HOME AFFAIRS

SECRET

 

PAGE 04       HARARE 02547 01 OF 02 291300Z

MINISTER AND ZANU-PF CHAIRMAN JOHN NKOMO REPORTEDLY HAS

TWO CHILDREN STUDYING IN THE U.S. MUGABE’S CHIEF OF

PROTOCOL IN THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE, AMBASSADOR

MUNYARADZI SAM KAJESE (AND FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER), HAS

THREE CHILDREN ATTENDING U.S. COLLEGES. WE HAVE NO

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON WHETHER OTHER SENIOR

GOVERNMENT OR RULING PARTY OFFICIALS HAVE CHILDREN IN

U.S. SCHOOLS. WE HAVE NO INDICATION THAT A GREATER THAN

NORMAL EFFORT IS UNDERWAY TO SEND SENIOR OFFICIALS’

CHILDREN TO SCHOOLS IN THE U.S. OR EUROPE.

 

G. (S) THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN INCREASE IN VISA

APPLICATIONS BY SENIOR OFFICIALS OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS

FOR TRAVEL TO THE WEST.

 

H. (S) WE HAVE NO DETAILS ON FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

WHERE GOZ OR ZANU-PF OFFICIALS MAY HOLD ASSETS.

 

2. (C) COMMENT: WE ADMIT THIS IS VERY THIN GRUEL, BUT

WE BELIEVE IT WILL TAKE EXTRAORDINARY MEANS — BOTH

SOURCES AND METHODS — TO DEVELOP THE DETAILED RESPONSES

SOUGHT IN REF B. WE LEAVE IT TO WASHINGTON TO DETERMINE

THE VALUE OF DEPLOYING ADDITIONAL ASSETS — BOTH

COMMERCIAL AND INTELLIGENCE ONES — TO ACQUIRE THIS

 

SECRET

 

SECRET       PTQ2522

 

PAGE 01       HARARE 02547 02 OF 02 291300Z

ACTION AF-00

 

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   ACQ-00   CIAE-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00

DS-00   EB-00   EUR-00   FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00   H-01

TEDE-00 INR-00   L-00     VCE-00   MMP-00   AC-01   NSAE-00

OIG-03   OMB-01   PA-00   PM-00   PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00

SP-00   TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00   DSCC-00 LBA-00   PRM-01

DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00 SAS-00     /009W

——————1842AA 291300Z /38

P 291249Z AUG 01

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9579

INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

 

S E C R E T SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 002547

 

SIPDIS

 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/29/11

TAGS: PGOV PINR PGOV PINR ZI

SUBJECT: ASSETS OF PRESIDENT MUGABE AND SENIOR GOZ AND

RULING PARTY LEADERS (C-TN1-01067)

 

INFORMATION. WE THINK THAT A FIRM LIKE KROLL ASSOCIATES

SECRET

 

PAGE 02       HARARE 02547 02 OF 02 291300Z

COULD BEGIN TO UNCOVER SOME ADDITIONAL ASSETS LINKED TO

THE ZIMBABWE LEADERSHIP, BUT DOUBT THAT MUCH WOULD SHOW

UP IN THE U.S. END COMMENT.

 

ROTH

 

SECRET

 

>

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Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

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