Zimbabwe attorney general charged with corruption over $400million fraud by Swiss bank
The Swiss government says it did not receive any payment for the sale of its stake in Zimbabwe.
A report by the Swiss Information Protection Centre said Swiss banks provided about $3m in loans and equity to the state, and that it gave an additional $3m to the Zimbabwe Revenue Service for public works.
While this is relatively small, it still makes it more than $40m in loans.
The report also alleges that several Zanu-PF officials have been involved in money laundering and racketeering in various countries, and that over the course of time the authorities had been "intermittent in failing to act".
The lawyer acting for the plaintiffs, who have requested a public hearing, says the charges are designed to silence Zanu-PF, and to "bring Zanu-PF to its senses".
He tells The Sunday Times that he was unaware of any alleged payment before the report was made public.
Zimbabwe is suffering from a severe economic crisis, with wages stagnant, inflation soaring and many businesses closed.
The state has long been accused of favouring certain business interests ahead of the wider community, such as the powerful mining magnate Robert Mugabe, who is widely seen as the driving force behind the crisis.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Zanu-PF leaders called for a free, honest election in December but faced a challenge from the Zimbabwe Information Commissioner
According to the report, the investigation started in January when the state began investigating whether it was paying off Zanu-PF officials.
A month after it opened an investigation, the Zanu-PF leaders issued a document warning that they would "prevent anyone (including Zimbabwe's public services and economic activity) from interfering" with the case.
The lawyers who are representing the plaintiffs do not believe that anyone, other than the governor-general himself, paid these debts, and this appears to have been the starting point of the lawsuit.
In response to the complaint, a spokesman for the Justice Ministry said the government has no plans to accept the findings of its investigation.
The chairman of the independent Information Commissioner, Dheerawati Mungantiwa, told the BBC that Zanu-PF's refusal to settle the case shows it is "doing all it can to keep all the allegations, including the allegation that it is paid off, away".
"It shows that if they're ready to put out a report, it'll be an open report," he said.
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Premier says race track not part of seq plan
Premier says race track not part of seq plan 2:54
The province announced Tuesday that Toronto's Toronto racetrack will no longer be part of Ontario's first-ever comprehensive plan to deal with the health hazards posed by heavy-duty machinery.
The announcement by Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca was part of a move to ease pressure on the heavily congested, but politically sensitive, area of Eglinton Avenue West.
"This is a great step forward to have all the options in place for our city and the region," Del Duca said.
The race track, located at Spadina Avenue West and Yonge Street, is seen in this 2007 file photo. (Hannah McKay/The Toronto Star)
Del Duca's announcement follows a lengthy, public consultation process that saw more than 6,500 comments, nearly three times the expected response.
The track's main concern during construction, says Jim Martin of the Canadian Automobile Association, will be to prevent accidents and deaths to the dozens of racetracks there and the thousands of visitors to play in the area.
The Ontario government's plans also called for two more safety zones around the stadium and surrounding areas to stop motorcyclists and vehicles from accessing the track.
Del Duca says the first safety zone will provide for a number of extra traffic signals, but would not have any impact on the speed of vehicles around the tracks. The other safety zone will only go into effect when the racetracks are completely finished and will not have any impact on the safety of workers, spectators or other park users.
The TTC's response
The TTC says the city's response to the TTC's comments over the weekend was "poor."
"We have not consulted with city council, or any of the parties to this proceeding," the TTC wrote in an email, adding that "our response has been, and is, too brief and inadequate to reflect all the views of those who spoke."
The council's decision this weekend will also change Toronto's plan. Councillor Frances Nunziata asked the city to come up with a detailed plan.
"There are a lot of different factors involved in planning the park," said Nunziata, who has been critical of the decision by the city. "But, for this city to be able to come to an agreement that allows people to play and to get around freely in Eglinton, and this would help it."
In an interview, Toronto Mayor John Tory said the city is looking at ways to ensure it is not forgotten by people who will play in the area during the fall.
"There is still a lot of planning to do to accommodate peopl |
