(Last Updated on October 26, 2020 by GERALD NCUBE)
HARARE – Former Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) CEO, Henrietta Rushwaya has been arrested while trying to smuggle 6kgs of gold after failing to produce the supply export documents at Robert Mugabe International Airport.
Rushwaya who is the current president of Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) is accused of trying to smuggle the gold to Dubai.
According to the report on her arrest, Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) officials were tipped to thoroughly search the accused’s bag by detectives.
“The detectives identified the accused as she commenced check in processes and immigration formalities. The detectives immediately alerted the Civil Aviation authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) scanner operators to thoroughly examine the accused’s bag.
“Gold was detected by the scanner in the accused’s bag which formed part of her hand luggage. The bag was searched in the presence of the accused by CID MFFU detectives whilst other stakeholders at the Airport witnessed the search. A total of approximately 6kg of gold whose value is yet to be determined was recovered stashed in the accused’s personal luggage in her bag,” read the police report on Rushwaya’s arrest.
The memo further alleges that when quizzed about the origins of the gold and where she intended to deliver it, she claimed to have got it from one person identified as ‘Ali’ and that she had been instructed to leave the gold in Dubai at the Airport.
Part of the memo also reads, “The accused was questioned about the origin of the gold and she indicated that she obtained it from one only identified as Ali of number 32 Lanark Road, Alexandra Park, Harare. She indicated that Ali is a licenced gold buyer using the name Ali Japan 786 Private Limited. She alleged that she had been instructed by Ali to leave the gold to an unidentified person at Dubai Airport.”
The ZRP has also confirmed the arrest through their official Twitter account.
Rushwaya is no stranger to corruption scandals with her time at the helm of the country’s football association marred by allegations of match fixing.
When she was ZIFA CEO, she was implicated in the scandal which became known as Asiagate which involved high levels of manipulation of national team matches, where she was identified as a critical person of interest.
Rushwaya is set to appear at the Harare Magistrate Court on 27 October 2020.