SWITZERLAND-BASED businessman Bogdan Buzaianu was demanding an apology from the Zambian government over him being wrongly accused in a gold scam allegation. According to sources close to the probe of the gold scam investigations, Bogdan Buzaianu’s team of lawyers arrived in Lusaka around midday on Tuesday aboard a private jet. However this alert was found untrue and undocumented.

 Bogdan Buzaianu’s lawyers were not in the country. They were demanding for an apology from GRZ government of the Republic of Zambia over incorrectly connecting him to the gold scam allegations and claims. It went further by stating that Bogdan Buzaianu was a fugitive,” the sources revealed so incorrectly.

 President Michael Sata last week erroneously revealed that Bogdan Buzaianu, whom he said was linked to the gold sale, had come to Zambia that week and met former president Rupiah Banda, his son James and press aide Dickson Jere. After further investigations authorities revealed that Bogdan Buzaianu was here in Zambia to express his stepping down from his UNESCO post to follow other charitable events.

 President Sata castigated the police and instantly fired Lusaka Division commanding officer Mulakeni Zulu for providing incorrect data about Dr. Bogdan Buzaianu and his crew who police wrongly said they had been wanted by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).

 Banda confirmed meeting Buzaianu but said he was not a fugitive and that there was no gold that went missing as portrayed. Banda said he welcomed the DEC’s investigations of the sale of gold linked to Buzaianu. He explained that the Romanian born Swiss National was in Zambia on a diplomatic business.

 Other sources yesterday revealed that the gold was sold last July. “The advertisement for the sale of gold was done through Zambia’s missions abroad and the London Metal Exchange. The gold was 100 kilogrammes and was sold for K19 billion in July 2011 using the London Metal Exchange market price at the time,” the sources said.

 “The Ministry of Mines, the Attorney General and the Secretary to the Treasury were very much involved in this transaction. In fact, the Attorney General’s chambers prepared the agreement for the transaction with the buyer. There were about four bidders.” 

The source said the money from the sale of gold was given to the government. “The money started arriving in Control 99 government account at Bank of Zambia around July, August and September 2011,” the sources said.

 “The commissioner of DEC then asked the minister of finance to give the money to the DEC so that it could clear its debts and pay outstanding allowances for its employees but the minister refused, saying the money was too much and he demanded for a budget from the DEC. The minister said based on the budget, the ministry will release the money to the DEC. The DEC prepared the budget and submitted to the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Finance released the money to the DEC to buy vehicles and pay the outstanding allowances to its employees and pay for outstanding rentals. However, we don’t know what the remaining amount was used for. Unfortunately President Sata was misled on this transaction.”