Former Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) director-general Happyton Bonyongwe has defended Sam Pa, the Chinese businessman who was jailed in 2015. Pa was involved in a joint diamond mining deal with the CIO. Appearing before, the Temba Mliswa led Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy, Bonyongwe said,
I will go into how we came across China International Fund. It was in 2008 as I attended a conference for [intelligence] director-generals from all over the world. I canvassed for investment into Zimbabwe because our economy was going through a bad patch.
….Someone then referred an investor (Pa) to us. He came highly recommended and we vetted him at the time, there were no issues with China Investment Fund. It was another country and another DG who introduced us. We duly vetted him and established that he was a bona fide businessman at the time. He was dealing with some companies and he was credible. Here is a picture with the Chinese President and the Russian President.
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If the fact that Sam Pa had his picture taken in the presence of the Chinese and Russian presidents is all the vetting he did, then I question his suitability to lead the country’s intelligence services.