Uebert Angel has allegedly been stripped of his diplomatic status as Zimbabwe’s Ambassador at Large and Presidential Envoy to Europe and the Americas.
The ambassadorial role came with the responsibility for Angel to seek trade and investment opportunities for the country of Zimbabwe.
However, Angel was recently exposed by undercover Al Jazeera journalists offering to launder US$1.2 billion using his diplomatic cover.
In the first episode of the Al Jazeera documentary, titled “Gold Mafia: The Laundry Service”, Angel is seen calling Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) president Henrietta Rushwaya in the presence of the undercover reporters.
Angel made the calls in an attempt to convince the “investors” that he was able to facilitate the laundering of more than a billion US dollars in cash.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba seemed to confirm that Angel has been stripped of his diplomatic status.
He was responding to one Ba’Zuva on Twitter after he asked why “Uebert Angel have his diplomatic status revoked if the Al Jazeera documentary, #GoldMafia was much ado about nothing”, Charamba, using one of his accounts “Tinoedza Zvimwe”.
Charamba said the revocation of diplomatic status is “administrative” and hinted that there could be legal consequences for Angel. He said:
Appointment to a diplomatic post means you further the interests and image of the country which appoints you as a representative of the Head of State of that country.
Once your actions run counter to both objectives, you are stripped of that title and all which goes with it.
This basic remedial ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION stands quite apart from any legal action your actions might attract. It is that simple.
You serve at the mercy of the appointing authority for as long he retains trust and confidence in you and in your competence to keep and protect the dignity of the STATE! Understood?
Last week, Angel’s office said during his interactions with the Al Jazeera crew, he suspected that they were not genuine and decided to use “decoys”.
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