Zimbabwe's central bank governor admits he took money from bank accounts of private businesses and foreign aid groups without permission to keep the country's cash-strapped ministries running. Gideon Gono said today he loaned money from the private hard-currency accounts to the government. He says the accounts will be reimbursed when the loans are repaid.
Gono has been harshly criticized for raiding foreign-currency accounts, among other questionable practices. In his statement, Gono pleaded with his detractors to ease up. Now that Zimbabwe has a new coalition government dedicated to reversing its severe economic decline, Gono says it's time "to let bygones be bygones." (More Zimbabwe stories.)