Pan-African Parliament slammed for appointing alleged gold smuggler and money launderer as religious ambassador

The African Union has been condemned for reportedly allowing its Pan-African Parliament to appoint the Zimbabwean “prophet” Uebert Angel, recently exposed as a gold smuggler and money launderer, as its ambassador for interfaith dialogue and humanitarian affairs.

The independent Zimbabwean radio station Nehanda Radio reported that it had been unofficially informed of the appointment.

“Ambassador Angel’s extensive knowledge, influential network, and commitment to fostering unity among diverse religious communities is what saw him emerge as an ideal candidate for this vital role,” Nehanda quoted an anonymous source as saying.

The news organisation Al Jazeera recently exposed Angel as a key player in a major racket in which a group of money launderers and gold smugglers bribed key members of several South African banks, enabling the crooks to secretly send abroad large amounts of illegally obtained money overseas.

Al Jazeera’s investigative unit posed as criminals seeking help in smuggling gold overseas and secretly filmed several conspirators agreeing to help.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Al Jazeera Gold Mafia exposé ‘tip of the iceberg’ for Zim corruption but accountability remains elusive

Angel, a self-proclaimed prophet, was recently appointed by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa as Zimbabwe’s ambassador-at-large for Europe and the Americas. Al Jazeera’s clandestine footage included Angel agreeing to smuggle $1.2-billion of dirty cash into Zimbabwe using his diplomatic status.

Daily Maverick asked Pan-African Parliament spokesperson Jeffrey Onganga to comment on the allegations. He did not confirm or deny that Angel had been appointed to the position, but only said, “There’s no official statement from the Pan-African Parliament to this effect.”

Veteran Zimbabwean politician and lawyer David Coltart, a former senator and education minister, said: “This is obviously a very serious development. Allegations have been levelled against Prophet Angel which have not been rebutted, which have not been adequately investigated by the Zimbabwe police.

“They have already had a devastating impact on Zimbabwe’s financial system with some of our commercial banks struggling to get correspondent banks internationally because Zimbabwe is now associated with money laundering on a grand scale and the allegations levelled against Angel linked him to very senior people in government and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

“And for the African Union to simply ignore this is a serious indictment against it. And it is also an indictment against them regarding the particular role which is envisaged. Prophet Angel holds himself out to be a Christian leader and yet what he is accused of is anathema to the Christian faith and to everything that Jesus Christ taught and stood for.

‘An indictment against AU’