Harare - At least nine safari operators have been arrested in Zimbabwe for allegedly violating exchange control regulations for the sale of hunting trophies, the Herald newspaper said on Monday.
Three of those arrested, who include a retired army brigadier general, Ben Matiwaza of Lalapanzi Safaris, have already appeared in court in the second city of Bulawayo, said the state-controlled Herald.
The other six unnamed operators are due to appear in court soon, according to the paper.
The report said that the operators allegedly made false declarations to the Zimbabwean authorities concerning the value of hunting trophies including lions and leopards sold to overseas clients.
The excess payments were allegedly placed in the operators' overseas bank accounts.
Under local exchange control laws, foreign currency earned for services rendered inside the country must be brought into Zimbabwe and surrendered at the official exchange rate.
Often, Zimbabweans with access to hard cash try to keep it out of official channels and change it on the lucrative parallel market that offers rates six or seven times higher than the official one of just ZIM$250 (about R7) to the US.
In a statement, Anti-Corruption Minister Paul Mangwana said arrests in the key hunting and safari sector were set to intensify. Arrests and prosecutions were going to escalate and the (anti- corruption) taskforce would leave no stone unturned, he said in a statement.
The governments much-vaunted anti-corruption drive was launched two years ago, but so far mainly the private sector has been targeted.
Although a major corruption scandal was uncovered in September at the state-owned iron and steel company, there have been no arrests so far. Government critics accuse the authorities of a cover-up. - Sapa-dpa