A 54-year-old Chinese national was recently arrested at Harare International Airport after being found in possession of two undeclared pieces of polished diamonds weighing 1,01 and 0,71 carats worth over $9 000 destined for China. SENIOR COURT REPORTER
It is alleged Li Bo did not declare his intention to export the gems to the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ). Li, whose address was cited in court papers as number 20 Lawson Avenue, Milton Park, Harare, is said to be an employee of Zimbabwe Shuangfeng Cotton.
Yesterday, Li appeared before Harare magistrate Donald Ndirowei charged with attempting to export the gems without authority from MMCZ and was remanded out of custody.
Allegations against him are that on November 5, he was at Harare International Airport where he intended to board an Ethiopian Airline en-route to China.
As his luggage went through a scanning machine, one Lasten Kamsaro discovered that theluggage contained suspicious objects and referred it to the security department for further verification. A police officer only identified as Constable Madera then allegedly recovered the two diamond pieces from Li’s luggage.
Upon being interrogated by police, Li failed to produce relevant documents from MMCZ, leading to his arrest. Nyikadzino Machingura prosecuted.
