Derick Matsengarwodzi Zimbabwean telecommunications entrepreneur Strive Masiyiwa could have possibly lessened the effects of genocide i...
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Derick Matsengarwodzi
Zimbabwean telecommunications entrepreneur Strive Masiyiwa could have possibly lessened the effects of genocide in Liberia, in 2001, after his refusal to participate in a corrupt deal.
Details of the underhand transaction
are contained in his exclusive revelations involving corrupt government officials.
The attractive offer
“In 2001 after we got the license in
Nigeria, we set about trying to find a building big enough to house the Switch
facilities in Lagos. It was not an easy task to find the right type of building
– and time was running out. We had paid $285m for the license, and had been
given six months to set up our operations. Failure to meet the deadline would
have resulted in a loss of the license.
The building, according to Masiyiwa
belonged to the government of Liberia – then ruled by the incarcerated Charles
Taylor.
“It took only a few days for our
people to reach agreement over the price. Sale and purchase documents were drawn
up and payment terms prescribed. It was a lot of money, which meant I would
have to personally sign off on the payment. As I sat there in my office in
Lagos, looking at the documents, I noticed that payment had to go to an account
in Switzerland...”
This puzzled Zimbabwe’s youngest ever
1990 businessman award recipient.
“Why is the money not going to
Liberia? I quizzed my staff. Initially, it seemed to be a detail no one had
picked up. I refused to sign. The ambassador came to see me at my office, with
an entourage of officials. There was a sense of urgency on their part. I
explained to the ambassador that I wanted a Government of Liberia bank account
number – and I also wanted an authorisation of sale. The following day he
called me and said the President's brother had been dispatched to “sort out the
mix-up over the account details.”
Corrupters
are master of flattery
Masiyiwa insisted the necessary documents
be produced.
“He was now getting quite desperate
and agitated, even suggesting they had another buyer in the wings. I would not
budge. On another occasion, he invited me to travel to Liberia as a guest of
the President. He thought it would impress me. Sometimes (not always),
corrupters try to dangle the “flattery” of high-level meetings.”
Later, Econet opted out of the deal.
“Of course, by this time I had long
worked out what was happening and was already looking for an alternative
building. I let them stew for a few days – and then told him I was no longer
interested and moved on. We ordered specialised containers to store our
equipment and air freighted them to Lagos. It was a more costly solution than
if we had bought the Liberian Embassy building.”
Years later, Charles Taylor was
eventually sentenced to a total of 50 years in prison at The Hague, in the
Netherlands for his leading role in war crimes, crimes against humanity and
other violations of international humanitarian law. – Tinzwei
Derick
Matsengarwodzi is a communication consultant, author – and founder of The Aloe
Media. An ardent researcher plus media devotee – you can interact with him
through Facebook or derickmats@gmail.com. Follow his
authoritative, eloquent, analytical and revealing writing flow on: http://tinzwei.blogspot.com or http://thehealthoracle.blogspot.com.
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