A British human rights and anti-corruption organisation has accused a Chinese businessman with connections to Hong Kong of funding Zimbabwe's widely feared secret police.
Global Witness named the businessman as Sam Pa, an adviser to a group of companies with offices in the city.
A report by the group said: 'Several reliable sources within the Zimbabwe secret police [the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO)], have passed information to Global Witness demonstrating how Sam Pa appears to have provided a significant sum of money, said to be US$100 million, to the CIO.
'The same sources, corroborated by another source with first-hand knowledge of the deal, describe how Sam Pa also provided 200 trucks to CIO.'
Global Witness campaigner Nick Donovan said: 'We think Sam Pa represents Angolan interests. It's a combination of Hong Kong, private Chinese and Angolan interests. We do not believe the Chinese government is involved. What we're concerned about is that this money will fund violence and human rights abuses in next year's elections. It makes it more likely for ZANU [the Zimbabwe African National Union, Prime Minister Robert Mugabe's ruling party] to retain power, given it has more ability to fund intimidation of opposition groups.'
Donovan added that the CIO was involved in violence and intimidation of the Movement for Democratic Change, the main opposition party, in the elections of 2002, 2005 and 2008.