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Crime Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN authorities, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, are intensifying investigations into a case where the late former Ambassador to Belgium, Hurudza Gift Punungwe, and his wife, Mrs Runako Beauty Punungwe, were swindled of nearly US$1.3 million in an elaborate investment scam dating back to the year 2000.
The scheme, orchestrated by Richard Kaye, a British national, involved companies he operated at the time, namely Thomas Barclay Group (TBG) and Lloyd Morgan Company (LMC), which were based in Belgium and France.
Despite years of efforts, Kaye remains elusive, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) now enlisting the assistance of Interpol to track him down. He is suspected to be hiding in the United Kingdom.
It is alleged that Kaye, presenting himself as a broker, persuaded Ambassador Punungwe to invest US$214,233 in LMC. He reportedly acted in connivance with five accomplices, identified as Professor David McKay, Hendrik Vriesen, Erik Bjertnes Jr, Michiel Eyken-Slyuters, and Penny Willis Jones (also known as Penelope Slan Kaye). After the Ambassador’s passing, Kaye issued new share certificates in Mrs Punungwe’s name. When Mrs Punungwe attempted to redeem her investment in 2009, the funds were never returned.
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