Africa Briefs

Zim borrowed US$2.99 bn from central bankZimbabwe government's borrowing from the central bank reached US$2.99 billion in December, about three times its permissible overdraft limit, central bank governor John Mangudya told a committee of parliament on Monday.President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government has promised to curb borrowing in 2019 as part of reforms to revive the economy after the budget deficit soared last year following a spike in spending ahead of elections last July. – Nampa/ReutersKey oil field in Libya to reopen after three monthsOne of Libya's most important oil fields is set to reopen nearly three months after it was taken over by an armed group, the state-owned National Oil Corporation said Monday.Production at the Al-Sharara site in southern Libya "is expected to resume within the next few hours", the NOC said in a statement.The announcement marks the end of "force majeure" declared in December; a legal measure which exempted the corporation from responsibility for failure to deliver on contracts.Getting production underway again follows "the removal of the armed group responsible for its blockade," the NOC said, which led to losses of US$1.8 billion.Located around 900 kilometres south of Tripoli, Al-Sharara had been producing some 315 000 barrels per day, almost a third of Libya's current output. – Nampa/AFPUganda says Rwanda partially lifts trade blockadeRwanda has started to allow trucks carrying goods from Uganda to enter at one of the main crossing points on their shared border, the Ugandan government said on Monday, a sign that renewed hostilities have started to ease.Rwanda last week abruptly begun blocking cargo trucks from Uganda from entering its territory as well as stopping its nationals from crossing over to Uganda.Uganda summoned Rwanda's ambassador to Kampala on Friday to protest against the border closure.Ofwono Opondo, Uganda's government spokesman, said on Monday that the flow of cargo traffic had been eased at Mirama Hills, one of the three main border crossings between the countries.Rwanda depends for much of its imports on a trade route through Uganda to Kenya's Indian Ocean seaport of Mombasa. – Nampa/ReutersKenya police summon finance minister over dams scandalKenyan police have summoned finance minister Henry Rotich for questioning for a second time over a multi-million dollar scandal involving advance payments for two dam projects, the head of the directorate of criminal investigations (DCI) said.The DCI said last week it was investigating what it described as fraudulent construction of the two dams valued at 63 billion shillings. Some payments had already been made despite the dams not being built, it said.Rotich was not immediately available for comment, but in a statement published by local media on Sunday, he said that up to 19.8 billion shillings (US$198 million) had been paid in advance to various firms for the Arror and Kimwarer dams.He said the payments had been made in accordance with the law."He must answer several questions," George Kinoti, the head of the DCI, told Reuters in a text message late on Monday. – Nampa/ReutersNigerian court orders assets forfeit of slain ex-defence chiefA Nigerian court has ordered the forfeiture to the government of properties and US$1 million in cash from a former defence chief who was killed while on trial for corruption.Ex-chief of defence staff Alex Badeh was shot dead in his car by unknown gunmen on a road outside the capital Abuja last December.The retired air chief marshal and his company were being prosecuted by the economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC) over allegations of abuse of office and money laundering.He allegedly diverted nearly US$20 million of government funds, including money meant for salaries, for his own use.Some of the cash was allegedly used to purchase a mansion in the upmarket Maitama district of the city. – Nampa/AFPSirleaf's son, others charged over Liberia bank scandalFive once senior figures at the Liberian Central Bank, including the son of long-serving former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, were charged Monday with criminal conspiracy and "economic sabotage" following a probe into a banknote printing scandal.A Monrovia court ordered former deputy governor Charles Sirleaf, ex-bank head Milton Weeks and bank official Dorbor Hagba to be held in jail pending the scheduling of their trial.Another two suspects still being sought face similar charges over their handling of billions of Liberian dollars.The crowded court heard that between 2016 and 2018, Sirleaf "purposely with wicked and criminal intent connived and conspired with other officials" to print local currency but also pocket some of the proceeds.Judge Kennedy Peabody said Sirleaf would be charged "with the commission of economic sabotage, misuse of public money, property or records and theft and or illegal disbursement and expenditure of public money and criminal conspiracy". – Nampa/AFP

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