HARARE – The Zimbabwe Republic Police absolved first lady Auxillia Mnangagwa and her son, Collins, of any involvement in a gold smuggling ring after she issued an extraordinary demand.

Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya was detained with 6kg of gold at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on October 26. She planned to smuggle it to Dubai.

She told investigators the gold belonged to Ali Mohamad, a Pakistani businessman and second-hand Japanese vehicle importer through his company, Japan 786.

Gift Karanda, who arrived at the airport after Rushwaya’s arrest, however told detectives that the gold belonged to Mnangagwa and her twin son, Collins. He claimed Collins would have travelled with the gold but became busy, and had sent Rushwaya instead.

In a statement on Sunday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s wife said she had “no dealings nor involvement with Henrietta Rushwaya of any illegal kind.”

She then demanded: “I am challenging the police through their relevant office to issue a statement with regards the utterances by one officer during Rushwaya’s arrest that falsely implicated me and my son, Collins.

“I am a strong advocate for transparency and honesty and any continued silence by the police can be misconstrued as a cover-up. If there is any incriminating evidence against me, I challenge the police to present it to the nation without fear or favour. If there be none, I also challenge the police to say so.”

Police responded swiftly with a statement of their own, clearing the first lady and her son of any wrongdoing.

“Comprehensive investigations have proved that the statement by Gift Karanda was false and malicious with intent to defeat or obstruct the course of justice,” national police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said.

Karanda, according to the police, has been charged with defeating or obstructing the course of justice; illegal possession of gold and smuggling.

Six people including Rushwaya have been charged over the smuggling plot. The others are Mohamad, Karanda, two state intelligence officers Raphios Mufandauya and Stephen Chenjerai Tserayi and senior police officers Superintendent Douglas Shoko, 50, and Detective Chief Inspector Paul Chimungu, 49.

The intelligence and police officers are accused of clearing Rushwaya’s path as she breezed through check-in, immigration and customs.