This archive report was first published on 5 December 2019.
On Thursday, a court in Zimbabwe appointed Robert Mugabe's daughter, Bona Chikore, to identify the late former leader's assets, which are to be distributed to his beneficiaries.
According to Mugabe's lawyer, Terrence Hussein, the Master of High Court in Harare appointed Chikore as the executor of her father's estate, with the agreement of family members.
However, many Zimbabweans are keen to know how much wealth Mugabe accrued during his 37 years in power, with some estimates suggesting he and his family amassed a vast fortune of up to $1 billion, as per a leaked US diplomatic cable from 2001.
For years, Mugabe and his wife, Grace, were reported to have deposited money and bought properties abroad, including in Asia, where they spent most of their annual family holidays. However, the family has denied these allegations.
Despite this, a legal dispute in 2014 over a $5 million villa in Hong Kong suggested that Mugabe's family had been buying overseas property. The government claimed ownership of the house.
Now, Mugabe's lawyer is challenging journalists and foreign governments, including the US and Britain, to prove that the former leader had properties abroad, which could be registered with the court.
“This is the good thing about saying falsehoods, those falsehoods will be exposed. Where are the properties?” Hussein said when asked about reports that Mugabe had properties abroad.
