Rushwaya fined for gold smuggling

Fidelis Munyoro

ZIMBABWE Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya has been fined US$5000 for trying to smuggle 6kg of gold worth more than US$333 000 to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, three years ago.

Rushwaya who denied the smuggling charge, claiming she mistakenly picked up the wrong bag at home, one containing gold bars rather than the one she meant to take on her trip, was convicted of the crime two weeks ago after Justice Pisirayi Kwenda found her guilty, dismissing her defence of a “wrong bag” as implausible.

She was ordered to pay a US$5000 fine failure of which she will spend 12 months in jail.

In addition, the court slapped Rushwaya with 18 months’ imprisonment wholly suspended for three years on condition she does not commit a similar offence during the same period.

The prosecution case was built on the evidence that Rushwaya was caught with the gold in her bag as she was leaving the country and that she failed to provide a valid export permit and presented a fake invoice and packing list from a company called Ali Japan 786 (Pvt) Limited, at the time of her arrest.