Disgraced former United States congressman Mel Reynolds who is facing charges of tax evasion in his own country, has claimed that President Robert Mugabe was paid a $100 000 bribe by businessman Elzie Higginbottom. Reynolds raised the allegations while he was cross-examining Higginbottom. He claimed that the $100 000 bribe was for a diamond concession in Zimbabwe and that Mugabe had agreed to split the profits from the mine with Higginbottom.
However, Reynolds did not produce any evidence to support his allegations.
Reynolds came to Zimbabwe in 2014 and claimed that he was going to invest US$145m into developing a five-star Hilton Hotel and an office complex in Harare. The deal never materialised and he was later arrested at a Harare hotel on pornography charges which were dismissed by the courts. He was found guilty of staying in the country on an expired visa and deported.
More: Chicago Sun Times