Central bank Governor John Mangudya, without stating the amount, offered a monetary reward in line with the bank’s Whistleblowing Policy, for positive identification of the defamers or imposters posing as Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) officials on the parallel market.
The Governor says the Bank takes a serious view of such mischief and urges any person with information of any defamer or imposter to make a report to law enforcement authorities or to the Financial Intelligence Unit.
“It has come to the attention of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (the Bank) that there are certain people posing and masquerading as Bank officials in their foreign exchange dealings on the parallel market,” Mangudya says.
“The Bank does not deal on parallel markets and does not and will not deploy any of its officers or employees on the foreign exchange parallel market as suggested by those defamers or imposters.”
RBZ officials have in the past implicated in the black market with the central bank clearing four top employees from the illicit activities.
Other officials are reported to have resigned after being implicated for illegal deals on the black market.
The events took place after William Mutumbanje (Acie Lumumba) last year accused RBZ officials of illicit deals.
Cash which is difficult to acquire in the formal institutions has been accessible on the black market.
Mangudya said, “The Bank urges members of the public to dismiss this misinformation with the contempt it deserves.”
“Allegations or misrepresentations that the Bank deploys its officials to engage in foreign currency parallel market activities is not only mischievous but also defamatory and designed to cause panic and instability in the foreign exchange market.”