Cashback

by Duncan James

  ***

  Will and Bonkers were at the airport to meet them when Robin and Marian eventually arrived in Bulawayo, after what had turned out to be a long and tiring journey. They decided to get the bus into town - the bus station was only a short walk from their hotel, The Grey's Inn on Robert Mugabe Way.

  "There's quite a good little bar we've found, just round the corner from here," said Will, when the couple had dumped their bags in their room. "Let's go there if you're not too tired, and you can relax over a drink, and they do good food, too, if you're hungry. We're busting to know what all this is about, and why we had to get all this information for you so quickly."

  "Shall we be able to talk there, without being overheard?" asked Robin.

  "No problem," replied Bonkers. "We can sit at a table outside - it's warm enough."

  When they were settled, Robin turned to Bonkers.

  "This is all your fault, y'know," he said to the man.

  "What is?" asked Bonkers, mystified.

  "Well," replied Robin, "let me start by telling you that a few colleagues and I have at last been able to do what you asked me to do all that time ago, when you came across to speak to us outside the New Stanley Hotel."

  "You haven't cracked the banks' computer security systems, have you?" asked Bonkers.

  "That's exactly what we've been able to do - not all banks, but those with the most commonly used encrypted operating systems," replied Robin.

  "I can't believe it!" exclaimed Will. "Now I know why you wanted the information you asked us to get."

  "It's been very hard work," said Marian, "and poor Robin is quite exhausted by it all."

  "I always said he was a genius with computers," claimed Bonkers. "What with this and the cards you developed as well - quite brilliant."

  "If it works over here," cautioned Robin, "and it may not. We shan't know until we try it, and there's more work to do first, before we can even attempt to put it to good use."

  "I've got all the information you asked for here," said Will, pulling a large envelope from his pocket.

  "Let's have a look," said Robin, as he removed the contents.

  He was silent for a few moments, as he scanned the pages.

  "How on earth did you get all this?" he asked Will.

  "Contacts!" replied Will. "Some in the banks, some in government offices, some working for Ministers, and one even working in the President's office."

  Robin turned the pages again, looking at the detail. He turned to Marian.

  "Jim's going to be busy, but this isn't as bad as I thought it would be," he said to her. "It seems as if most of the hierarchy have all done the same thing, more or less. There are some accounts offshore - Cayman Islands and Bermuda - a few in Switzerland, all at the same bank, and more in South Africa, again all in the same bank."

  "How much are we talking about," asked Marian.?

  "Can't tell from this," Robin replied.

  "You'll see that, in a few cases, we know how much is deposited," replied Will, " but not in every account."

  "We'll just have to look for ourselves, then," said Robin.

  "Is it really that easy?" queried Bonkers.

  "It shouldn't be too difficult, if my colleague in London can do his stuff," replied Robin.

  "And then what will you do?" asked Bonkers.

  "Move it in to a special account I've opened in Switzerland, and then pay it out from there to the victims of this regime's corruption - or at least, to those farmers we can contact."

  "I told you about Justice for Farmers, didn't I," said Will. "They may co-operate when they know what's going on, but won't pass on the names and addresses of their members."

  "I can understand that," replied Robin, "but I would like an urgent meeting with them - someone in authority."

  "They're happy with that," replied Bonkers, "and their Chief Executive is waiting a call from us to fix it."

  "Excellent," replied Robin. "You two really have done well."

  "And given us lots more work to do," said Marian.

  "Let's try to meet the farming chap tomorrow," said Robin. "The sooner I know they can help with this, the better."

  "I'll fix that right away," said Will, taking his mobile phone from his pocket. "I'll stroll down the road to do that, away from the crowds."

  They arranged to meet Wilfred de Burgh from the farmers' organisation early the next morning, but not in his office, which he thought could well be bugged. They met at the Selbourne Hotel bar instead. As soon as they had their coffee, Robin swore the man to secrecy, and explained what it was he hoped to be able to do.

  De Burgh was plainly astonished at what Robin told him.

  "Are you seriously suggesting that you are able to take money from the accounts of government ministers without their knowledge?" he asked.

  "Certainly that should be possible, although the system has yet to be tested on this continent," explained Robin.

  "Your problem will be," said the man, "that the Zimbabwean Dollar is virtually worthless, so what these people have in their accounts will pay nothing,"

  "Much of their money is in banks overseas," said Robin, "in Swiss Francs, US Dollars and so on, so it will not be as worthless as you suggest."

  "Much of it is also in diamonds, so I believe," said de Burgh.

  "They are obviously beyond our reach at the moment," agreed Robin Hood, "but I hope we shall be able to access sufficient money to be able to make worthwhile payments to your members. We shall need to work together, though, since you know who and where they are. I have already opened a numbered account in Switzerland in order to be able to administer all this through a third party," explained Robin, showing de Burgh a letter of introduction from the bank. "What I don't know yet, of course, is how much we shall be able to deposit in this account, and therefore how much we shall be able to pay to each of your members."

  "In almost every case, I have their account details, too, and they are sensibly in banks outside this country," added Wilfred de Burgh.

  "Those are the details which I shall need to pass on to the Swiss bank," said Robin, "unless you prefer to do that yourself, that is. They already know of the existence of your organisation."

  "No offence," replied de Burgh, "but I think my members would not wish me to pass on their personal details to a complete stranger, especially in the climate there is in this country these days."

  "That's what I had thought," replied Robin.

  "However, I do appreciate that you have taken a great risk in confiding in me as you have," de Burgh added as an afterthought. "It might even be safer to let you take the details to Switzerland by hand, rather than risk them in the post or on the Internet. I'll need to think about that."

  "There's something else I'd like you to think about, too," said Robin. "Depending on how much capital we can raise to deposit in the Swiss bank, I had in mind paying each of your members a lump sum and providing them with a small income for life, from an annuity fund which we can set up. I take it you would agree that each of your members should be treated equally, regardless of the value of their property when it was seized?"

  The man thought for a moment.

  "Any other way would be too complicated," he agreed. "And in any case, I wouldn't want to guess at the level of compensation which would be appropriate."

  "Good," said Robin. "And you agree to an annuity as well, if money permits, or would you rather a cash sum as a once and for all settlement?"

  "I know most of them would welcome some kind of income, so let's hope you can raise sufficient cash to make that possible."

  "Agreed, then," concluded Robin.

  "So what happens next?" asked the chief executive of Justice for Farmers.

  "I shall make a start on draining the reserves of the men in power who have benefited from their corrupt regime, and getting it in to the Swiss bank. Once that operation is complete, I shall contact you again for the membership details you have. Those can then be passed to Switzerland, and once the
bank has set up all the annuities, money can start to be paid to your members."

  "If the bank had those details now, they could start setting up that machinery immediately, couldn't they?" asked de Burgh.

  "It would certainly mean that your members would benefit quicker," replied Robin.

  Wilfred de Burgh thought hard for a few moments, looking keenly at Robin. Eventually, he reached into his briefcase, and pulled out a sealed envelope.

  "Take this now," he said, handing it to Robin. "You have been courageous enough to trust me, so I shall trust you in return. I won't ask why you are prepared to take such risks to help complete strangers in this way, but I wish you every success and God's speed."

  As de Burgh got up to leave, he put his hand on Bonker's shoulder. "You were right," he said.