Zimbabwe regime accused of stealing $2bn in diamonds

http://www.guardian.co.uk

Zimbabwe regime accused of stealing $2bn in diamonds

Report claims that revenue from Marange fields has been channelled into ‘parallel government’ loyal to Robert MugabeDiamonds worth at least $2bn (£1.26bn) have been stolen by the Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe’s ruling elite, international dealers and criminals, in “perhaps the biggest single plunder of diamonds the world has seen since Cecil Rhodes”, a watchdog has claimed. Revenue that could have revived the country’s ailing economy has been channelled into a “parallel government” of police and military officers and government officials loyal to Mugabe, according to Partnership Africa Canada (PAC), a group campaigning against “blood diamonds”.