Zimbabwe Diamond Execs Deny Fraud Charges

The denials come after the six - senior executives of the government mining firm Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) and an executive of Canadile Mining of South Africa - were arraigned on Monday before a Harare magistrate.

"What we have is a very simple contractual matter," attorney Lewis Uriri told the court in a bail application. According to Uriri, the charges of fraud and abuse of office in awarding of mining concessions to Canadile “would not stick.”

Among the arrested executives are Dominic Mubaiwa, CEO of ZMDC and Lovemore Kurotwi of Canadile.

In related news, African Consolidated Resources (ACR), which mined the Marange fields before being driven out by the Zimbabwe government, has been charged with violating the country's Mines and Minerals Act.

The company called the charges “groundless.”