Zimbabwe's former first lady, Grace Mugabe, is under police investigation for her alleged role in a multimillion-dollar ivory-smuggling syndicate.
The southern African country's state-run Sunday Mail newspaper reported at the weekend that authorities were in possession of documents that show Ms Mugabe used her high-level position to facilitate the illegal transport of ivory out of the country.
Ms Mugabe (52) was said to have forced officials to grant her permits to export the ivory consignments, which were labelled as “gifts” for the purposes of their passage through customs, to a variety of world leaders.
The ivory was either stolen from the country’s national parks’ vault or taken from animals in wildlife reserves that were targeted by the poaching syndicates.
The different consignments of contraband were then pooled outside the country and shipped to black markets around the world.
According to the weekly newspaper, the documents the police are in possession of show Ms Mugabe "spirited large consignments of ivory to China, the United Arab Emirates and the United States among other destinations".
Exports banned
The ivory trade is not illegal in Zimbabwe, but it is controlled and it is not permitted for export.
Zimbabwe’s presidency has confirmed that an investigation is under way into the alleged smuggling ring. The smugglers, it said, came to their attention last year when a whistleblower supplied the authorities with compelling evidence of their activities.
Senior presidency official Christopher Mutsvangwa said the police and the whistleblower then laid "a trap for suppliers believed to be working for Grace Mugabe".
“The culprits were caught and that is how investigations started. When we were confronted with so much evidence, there is no way we could ignore it,” he said.
The authorities are expected to question Ms Mugabe about her alleged role in the smuggling operation in the near future.
Ms Mugabe has remained out of the public eye since her husband, former president Robert Mugabe, was ousted from office last November.
Lavish lifestyle
A controversial figure in Zimbabwe, the former first lady appeared to be in line to succeed Mr Mugabe (94) as president, until the military intervened and forced him to stand down after nearly four decades in office.
Mr Mugabe's former deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was subsequently sworn in as the country's new leader in December.
Nicknamed “Gucci Grace” for her lavish lifestyle, Ms Mugabe’s wealth has prompted many critics to ask where it came from, and led to suspicions that she was involved in illegal activities.
The poaching of elephants in Zimbabwe has been widespread in recent years, as the ivory tusks are used for ornaments and medicines sold primarily in Asia.
At least 400 elephants died in Hwange, Zimbabwe’s biggest national park, in 2015 after drinking from a natural water hole that had been laced with the poison cyanide.
