Zimbabwe parliament summoned Mugabe over diamond looting

Former Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabe has been summoned to appear before a parliamentary committee to answer questions about alleged diamond looting during his rule.

Mugabe, who resigned in November following a military intervention, has said $US15 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 has told 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 licences there in 2016.

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