Police deny Grace Mugabe seized diamond dealer's properties following botched deal

Police have dismissed as false claims that First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe “grabbed” properties belonging to a Lebanese businessman, Mr Jamal Ahmed, saying the assets in question were placed under police guard as part of an investigation into a number of criminal allegations against Ahmed.

Mr Ahmed on December 21 last year obtained an interdict at the High Court against Dr Mugabe, her son Mr Russel Goreraza and a top police officer Superintendent Kennedy Fero, whom he accused of unlawfully occupying and taking over his three houses. The three respondents, through Mr Wilson Manase of Manase and Manase Legal Practitioners, this week approached the court seeking discharge of an order granted in favour of Mr Ahmed by Justice Clement Phiri last month.

In the application Superintendents Nyambo Viera and Kennedy Fero say the placement of Mr Ahmed’s property under police guard had nothing to do with the First Family with Viera stating that he was investigating Mr Ahmed in connection with a number of cases involving fraud, theft, property acquisition, money laundering, purchase of minerals, and Exchange Control laws.