HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has a US$240 million war chest in personal funds for general elections set for August, Ambassador-at Large Uebert Angel told undercover reporters investigating money laundering in Zimbabwe.

The self-styled prophet was secretly filmed by undercover journalists from Al Jazeera, which is broadcasting a four-part corruption expose on gold smuggling and money laundering activities of politically-connected individuals in Zimbabwe.

The Qatar-based news network on Thursday released its third installment in the series, titled Gold Mafia.

The journalists had approached Angel and cohorts pretending to be seeking assistance to “wash” US$1.2 billion in dirty cash from Hong Kong.

In the latest episode, the excitable preacher, appointed Ambassador-at-Large by Mnangagwa in 2021, revealed the Zimbabwean strongman, who faces the challenge of opposition rival Nelson Chamisa in August, has a massive budget for the plebiscite – in personal funds.

“In this (2023) election, I think, they are spending something like US$240 million and that is his (Mnangagwa) money. It’s not somebody else’s. It’s not the party, it’s his money,” Angel says.

He however does not mention how Mnangagwa would want to deploy the fortune towards a campaign which independent Zimbabwean groups predict to be bloody.

In the documentary, Angel boasts about Mnangagwa’s wealth and tells the journalists the Zimbabwe incumbent does not come cheap when it comes to “facilitating” a meeting with him, as he and sidekick Rikky Doolan – a British musician married to his niece – craftily solicit a US$200,000 fee from the undercover journalists in exchange for a meeting with Mnangagwa, who was attending a United Nations environment summit in Scotland.

Insisting that Mnangagwa did not take bribes but appreciated gifts, Angel told the reporters: “So, when somebody has got that money to spend on an election campaign, you give him one million, it’s like a slap in the face, unless you say this is to thank you.

“The guy doesn’t take bribes. Oh no, no, he won’t. There is a big difference in appreciating somebody and bribing.”

At one point, Doolan told the reporters that Mnagagwa would be so busy during the course of the UN summit that he would be only meeting “other Number 1s (heads of state).” But this could change – with a hefty payment for access.

“His schedule is not open for investors… What we are talking about right now is a facilitation to open up that meeting. We are going to execute, we are going to facilitate all of these things taking place,” Doolan said.

“Now back to the main thing that we have not yet addressed. This thing of appreciation, this thing of facilitation, whatever you want to call it. What are we doing?”

When the documentary premiered last month, the name-dropping preacher panicked and issued a tame damage control statement seeking to distance Mnangagwa and his wife, Auxillia, from the mess. He inadvertently revealed that Mrs Mnangagwa and son, Emmerson Junior, would also feature in AL Jazeera’s investigation.

Angel claimed the voices he put on speaker during phone calls in the presence of the journalists were “decoys” he used after state security advised him that they feared he was dealing with criminals. This is despite the fact that the journalists told Angel from the onset that they wanted to move illicit cash from Dubai.

During the meeting, Angel’s sidekick Doolan says when they start moving US$1 billion on behalf of the journalists posing as criminals, some ministers and individuals must be bribed to ensure the process runs smoothly.

“Obviously, when we get the ball rolling, there’ll be points and times along the way where people will need to be greased,” Doolan says.

“Ministers, different guys, boom boom. But in the country we are talking about (Zimbabwe) and all across Africa, actually it’s the only way to get things done smoothly. It won’t be too painful.

“It will just be a little here, a little bit here, a little bit here. But will tackle them as we go along.

“It won’t stop the project; once it’s rolling it’s rolling. Once we’ve made a promise to the president, we have to execute.”

Doolan urges the undercover journalists to bribe Angel so he could link them up with Mnangagwa.

“He (Angel) is bending over backwards. He’s calling the president,” he says.

“Talking to the president. He has arranged a meeting for you already. The ambassador is not being appreciated yet.”