Zimbabwean Ambassador Uebert Angel has responded to accusations made against him in a recent Al Jazeera documentary, which claimed he was involved in a gold smuggling scheme and demanded bribes from potential investors seeking to meet with the country’s president.
In a statement issued through his office, Angel denied all allegations, calling them “fabricated and malicious.” He claimed that the documentary was edited to misrepresent his words and actions, and that he was the victim of a “well-crafted ploy to trap the Ambassador and tarnish his image.”
Angel’s statement went on to detail the events leading up to the documentary’s filming. According to the statement, a group of individuals claiming to be investors contacted Angel’s office, requesting a meeting with the president of Zimbabwe. Angel agreed to meet with them and was accompanied by a team of security agents to ensure the safety of all involved.
During the meeting, Angel claims that the supposed investors began making bizarre claims, including that they had a billion dollars in cash with them. Angel and his team became suspicious of their true intentions and began questioning them further. The group eventually revealed that they were actually undercover journalists from Al Jazeera.
The Ambassador stated that the journalists attempted to deceive him with leading questions and selective editing in order to paint him in a negative light. Angel vehemently denied any involvement in gold smuggling or bribery and emphasized that his role as ambassador is to promote Zimbabwe as an investment destination.
Angel also denied claims that he demanded fees from investors seeking to meet with the president, stating that he has never charged such fees and that any investors he has facilitated were referred to relevant state institutions for formalization of their investments.
The Ambassador’s statement concluded by calling on anyone with evidence of wrongdoing to come forward and prove their claims, and asserted that the allegations against him were baseless and intended to tarnish his reputation.
The Al Jazeera documentary, titled “Undercover in Africa’s Secret State,” aired on March 15 and alleged that Angel was part of a network involved in smuggling gold out of Zimbabwe and that he demanded bribes from investors seeking to meet with the president. The documentary sparked widespread controversy and debate, with many questioning the veracity of the allegations and the methods used by the journalists to obtain their information.
