Ragubathi adds insult to injury

MALAYSIAN businessman Subramanian Ragubathi yesterday repeated his claims that seals on two diamond parcels were tampered with by the Diamond Commissioner and the Police’s Protected Resources Unit.

In a statement, he claimed that the Protected Resources Unit’s commander had refused to take a statement from him “…because he believes I should provide him with proof beyond a doubt”. He again repeated his allegation that “someone” had transported a parcel of diamonds from Block 3 on the Orange River to Toscanini via Rosh Pinah and Windhoek, seemingly contradicting his earlier allegations that the two separate parcels were deliberately mixed up in the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s sorting rooms in Windhoek.Ironically, Ragubathi’s own K27 permit (Police permission to enter a diamond area) was suspended last year after he in April removed some 500 carats of rough diamonds from the Toscanini sorting room and transported those to Windhoek.A senior Mines and Energy official earlier confirmed that Ragubathi had arrived with the diamonds at their offices without having followed any of the strict rules for transporting rough diamonds in Namibia.The Police were immediately notified.”Ragubathi said ‘F… Petrus Ilungu [the Erongo diamond inspector], f… Kennedy Hamutenya, I am the boss of these diamonds and I will take them,” Bret Investments director Naeman Amalwa said yesterday.”That’s why his K27 got suspended.”Seemingly unfazed by the fact that he has managed to offend just about every official in the Ministry’s diamond directorate, Ragubathi yesterday added insult to injury by claiming that he in fact had discovered the Skeleton Coast diamonds in the first place.Claiming to respect Namibian laws and that justice would be served here, he added that he was the investor “…who found the huge deposit of diamonds in a place where all geological reports claimed otherwise.”The Skeleton Coast diamonds were in fact discovered by German prospector Ernst Karlova in the 1930s, and the area was extensively explored by De Beers between 1954 and 1957 before the international diamond giant opted to concentrate on its far more lucrative Oranjemund operations instead.Ragubathi also claims to have a doctorate in quantum physics and “Trinitarian sciences”, and claimed to Ministry staff that he was able to detect mineral deposits by means of “extra-sensory abilities”.* John Grobler is a freelance journalist; 081 240 1587He again repeated his allegation that “someone” had transported a parcel of diamonds from Block 3 on the Orange River to Toscanini via Rosh Pinah and Windhoek, seemingly contradicting his earlier allegations that the two separate parcels were deliberately mixed up in the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s sorting rooms in Windhoek.Ironically, Ragubathi’s own K27 permit (Police permission to enter a diamond area) was suspended last year after he in April removed some 500 carats of rough diamonds from the Toscanini sorting room and transported those to Windhoek.A senior Mines and Energy official earlier confirmed that Ragubathi had arrived with the diamonds at their offices without having followed any of the strict rules for transporting rough diamonds in Namibia.The Police were immediately notified.”Ragubathi said ‘F… Petrus Ilungu [the Erongo diamond inspector], f… Kennedy Hamutenya, I am the boss of these diamonds and I will take them,” Bret Investments director Naeman Amalwa said yesterday.”That’s why his K27 got suspended.”Seemingly unfazed by the fact that he has managed to offend just about every official in the Ministry’s diamond directorate, Ragubathi yesterday added insult to injury by claiming that he in fact had discovered the Skeleton Coast diamonds in the first place.Claiming to respect Namibian laws and that justice would be served here, he added that he was the investor “…who found the huge deposit of diamonds in a place where all geological reports claimed otherwise.”The Skeleton Coast diamonds were in fact discovered by German prospector Ernst Karlova in the 1930s, and the area was extensively explored by De Beers between 1954 and 1957 before the international diamond giant opted to concentrate on its far more lucrative Oranjemund operations instead.Ragubathi also claims to have a doctorate in quantum physics and “Trinitarian sciences”, and claimed to Ministry staff that he was able to detect mineral deposits by means of “extra-sensory abilities”.* John Grobler is a freelance journalist; 081 240 1587