London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 09, 2025

Tobacco giant BAT sought to bribe Zimbabwe’s Mugabe to secure release of its private spies – leaked docs seen by BBC 

Tobacco giant BAT sought to bribe Zimbabwe’s Mugabe to secure release of its private spies – leaked docs seen by BBC 

British American Tobacco described claims by the BBC that it ran a shady op to sabotage rivals in southern Africa, and had to pay up to Zimbabwe’s ruling party when the spooks got caught, as a “mischaracterisation of our conduct.”

The Monday episode of BBC’s ‘Panorama’ programme delved into the world of cutthroat competition, alleged illegal espionage and bribery in Africa, or more particularly, its tobacco business. British American Tobacco (BAT), a London-headquartered multinational and one of the biggest companies in the UK, was the focus of the investigation.

In its business in South Africa, the company has relied on the services of a private security firm called Forensic Security Services (FSS). FSS has long been accused of doing a number of illegal things on behalf of its client, like wiretapping phones of its rivals, planting tracking devices on their cars or bribing corrupt officials to impede competition and help BAT. The British company insists the operations were fully legal and were meant to help law enforcement in African countries root out crimes in the tobacco industry.

The BBC report was based on leaked documents and the testimony of a former FSS employee, Pieter Snyders, who was quite forthcoming about what he used to do and claimed the tobacco giant was well aware of the illicit nature of FSS operation.

“They were giving us money to do that,” he said. “I had to specify in my invoice… you have to specify what you used the money for. They said that we must tap [competitors’] telephones, do physical surveillance on them, on the trucks, where they’re going, where they offload, and follow them over.”

In 2012, one such operation in Zimbabwe backfired when people paid by FSS to spy on a Savanna Tobacco factory got caught. Three directors of the company were arrested and charged in connection with the illegal surveillance.

BTA provided a contractor with bribe money amounting to about $12,000 to pay his way to gain access senior people in the party of then-president Robert Mugabe to negotiate a release, the BBC reported, citing the man who conducted this mission. An internal memo described the terms of the settlement: a generous donation to the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) party campaign coffers ahead of the upcoming reelection of Mugabe would “sort out” things.

“The amount of the donation would have to be in the region of between USD300,000 to USD500,000 to Zanu PF,” the document said, according to the BBC.

Investigators didn’t find evidence that the bribe was delivered, but the three directors were set free within days after the deal was offered.

FSS worked for the British tobacco giant in southern Africa between 2000 and 2016. BAT denied any involvement in illegal activities. Paying bribes anywhere in the world would be illegal for a company operating under British jurisdiction.

“We emphatically reject the mischaracterisation of our conduct,” the company told the broadcaster. “Our efforts in combating illicit trade have been aimed at helping law enforcement agencies in the fight against the criminal trade in tobacco products.”

"Acting responsibly and with integrity underpins the foundations of our culture."


BAT said the allegations against it were not new and stressed that paying sources for information about criminal behaviour was lawful.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Superman Actor Dean Cain To Become ICE Agent With Gen Z Army
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
×