Mugabe's Nephew Fired for Fiffling with FIFA-grant

FIFA's Southern African office for distributing Goal project cash had written privately to Leo Mugabe stating baldly, "It is clear that the money was received and not utilised for the purposes it was intended. This matter is viewed by this office in serious light . . . the conduct of your good offices in respect of this matter is regrettable."

The letter was revealed to Zimbabwe association officials last week who interrogated Mugabe and his treasurer for six hours - and then fired them.

Mugabe, president of the association since 1995, described his sacking as a coup and denied that he had anything to do with association funds. He failed in a bid to persuade the Zimbabwe High Court to reinstate him.

Last year Mugabe and some of his officials were accused of profiteering from Zimbabwe's rigid currency exchange laws. They were alleged to have changed foreign income - mostly from FIFA - on the black market where they could get 1,500 local Zimbabwe dollars for one US dollar - but recorded the deal in the association books at the official Government rate of only 55 to one.

Leo Mugabe is one of President Mugabe's closest cronies and it is alleged that Leo has to be "looked after" by foreign companies seeking to do business in Zimbabwe. When a French company was awarded the contract for a new airport in the capital, Harare, the government overruled the decision and instead appointed a Saudi company that had chosen Leo Mugabe to be its local agent. One financial paper described the coup as "Zimbabwe's most notorious act of cronyism."

He was also a partner in a cell phone company awarded a coveted government license and in a private TV station.

Leo is said to be the richest of the Mugabe clan and initially his 2,500 acre farm, Journey's End, was listed to for confiscation and redistribution to landless peasants. Then the government stepped in and stopped the seizure. His brother was head of the feared secret police, the Central Intelligence Office and other relatives hold lucrative government appointments.