Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe’s son Robert Junior is living in a 10-bedrom villa
located in an exclusive and pricey Dubai
neighbourhood at a cost of $42,000 per month in rentals, it has emerged.
The revelation was made by Lebanese businessman, Jamal
Ahmed, who is at war with Mugabe’s wife, Grace, over a botched deal to buy a
million-dollar diamond ring supposedly intended as the President’s wedding
anniversary present to the First Lady.
Grace, the Lebanese claims, has ordered the seizure of his
properties in Harare , apparently to force the
return of about $1.4m she paid for the ring through her account with CBZ bank
in Harare .
Ahmed claims Grace surprisingly rejected the ring when it
was delivered Dubai
and demanded the return of her money. She reportedly insisted that the money be
paid into a Dubai bank account.
The Lebanese argued that full refund was not possible since
costs had been incurred in procuring and polishing the precious stone. He also
objected to paying the money in Dubai saying
this would be illegal under Zimbabwe ’s
laws.
In the ongoing court battle over the saga, the First Lady
denied demanding payment in Dubai ,
saying she did not have a bank account there.
However, in response Ahmed said the Mugabes rent an expensive villa in Dubai which is used by
son Robert Junior who is based there.
“Whether or not the second respondent has accounts outside Zimbabwe does not mean she did not ask for a
refund in Dubai ,”
Ahmed argued.