By Paul Nyathi|The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development on Thursday officially summoned former President Robert Mugabe to appear before it to explain his claim that $15 Billion vanished from the country’s diamond revenue.

Mugabe hit headlines in 2016 when he made sensational claims that over $15 billion disappeared in the diamonds revenue in Chiyadzwa through possible corruption and looting scandals.

Committee chairman, Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa said his committee resolved to call Mugabe to explain where he got the claims of the $15 Billion losses.

“We met today as a committee and resolved that we invite former President Mr Mugabe to our committee to explain the disappearance of the $15 billion worth of diamonds,” he said. “We have set May 9 as the date on which he will give evidence.

“It is a resolution that we made long ago, but we first wanted to receive evidence from other State institutions to determine whether it is necessary or not to invite him. After gathering all evidence, it was the committee’s view that we call the former Head of State and Government,” he said.

The committee also invi-ted former Vice President Dr Joice Mujuru to explain reports linking her to diamond mining in the area.

During her time as Vice President, Mujuru was rumoured to have had strong links to looting of diamonds to an extent that a section of the mines in Chiyadzwa was allegedly reserved for her and her mining friends.

The designated area was nicknamed “Chiuru Cha Mujuru” which means Mujuru’s reserved little hill.