HARARE – The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has launched a probe into a possible gold smuggling scandal by gold baron Ewan Macmillan and United Kingdom based millionaire preacher Uebert Angel.
The central bank action could pass as an attempt to pre-empt a pending Al Jazeera exposé of a stinking gold smuggling, corruption and money laundering scandal involving some top government officials and connected individuals.
The investigative documentary is set to premiere at 10 pm this Thursday.
In leaked correspondence to the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC) Monday, the central bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) requested information concerning businesses belonging to Macmillian and Angel.
“The Insurance and Pensions Commission (the Commission) is required in terms of the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act [Chapter 9:24], to coordinate with FIU in the assessment of the money laundering and terrorist financing risks to which the country is exposed,” wrote the FIU.
“Pursuant to the above, we are in receipt of an urgent communication from the FIU requesting all industry players to assist with information on: (i) insurance products; (ii) insured assets held or disposed by the above-mentioned individuals directly or indirectly through companies or trusts during the period 1 January 2020 and 21 March 2023.”
Added FIU, “You are therefore required to submit your responses to [email protected], and copy [email protected] within the next 48 hours, latest by mid-day Thursday 23 March 2023.
“The information being requested is confidential, in terms section 31 of the MLPC Act and therefore should be regarded as such.”
Angel, born Uebert Mudzanire, is a British-Zimbabwean businessman and founder of Spirit Embassy.
The probe against the charismatic evangelical preacher comes exactly two years after he was appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa as Presidential Envoy and Ambassador at Large.
In snippets of the mouth-watering Al Jazeera documentary, Macmillian and Angel are allegedly exposed as active players into a well-oiled gold smuggling sleaze.
Parts of the documentary also showed Angel, Macmillan, and Henrietta Rushwaya – president of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation – openly flaunting their proximity to power.
Rushwaya, once busted for attempting to smuggle over 6kg of gold via the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, is believed to be a niece to President Mnangagwa.
Macmillan is also caught in the undercover investigation describing Vice President Constantino Chiwenga as a “dunderhead”.
