Zimbabwe's parliament summons Mugabe on May 9 over alleged diamond looting

This is the first time a public institution has summoned former leader Mugabe to account for the alleged looting

A Zimbabwean parliamentary committee is summoning former leader Robert Mugabe to appear before it over alleged diamond looting during his rule.

Mugabe, who resigned in November following a military intervention, has said USD 15 billion worth of diamonds were looted from fields in the country's east. He later said he had no basis for that figure.

But parliamentary committee chairman Temba Mliswa tells The Associated Press the 94-year-old still should appear on May 9 to explain his statements.

This is the first time a public institution has summoned Mugabe to account for the alleged looting. Zimbabwe security agencies were involved in the mining with Chinese firms until the government cancelled all diamond mining licenses there in 2016.

Mliswa says parliament "very soon" will dispatch an official letter for Mugabe to attend.