HARARE - Zimbabwe's parliament on Monday
backed down from its demand for former president Robert Mugabe
to answer questions related to diamond mining operations during
his time in office.
In what would have been his first public appearance since
being ousted in a de facto military coup in November, parliament
had wanted to question Mugabe about his pronouncements that the
state had been deprived of at least $15 billion in revenue by
mining companies operating in the eastern Marange gem fields.
Mugabe had twice failed to appear before the mines committee
of parliament and was given a final chance to do so on Monday,
but the committee said in a statement it had now recused the
94-year-old former leader after consultations with the Speaker.
The committee did not give any more details.
A parliament official privy to the issue had told Reuters in
May that it was unlikely Mugabe would appear before the
committee because this was opposed by influential politicians in
President Emmerson Mnangagwa's ruling ZANU-PF party.
Mugabe said in March 2016 the country was robbed of wealth
by diamond companies including joint ventures between Chinese
companies and the army, police and intelligence services. He
later expelled those firms last year and replaced them with a
state-owned diamond company.