The Israel Diamond Exchange has decided to expel a veteran diamond trader who is suspected of involvement in smuggling Zimbabwean diamonds into Israel.

The story came to light last week when another Israeli who works in Zimbabwe as a water consultant was caught leaving Ben-Gurion International Airport with $140,000 worth of rough diamonds in his pockets. Upon being questioned, the man implicated the diamond trader.

Israel Diamond Exchange President and World Federation of Diamond Bourses President Avi Paz said that the trader's expulsion from the IDE had been announced to all WFDB member bourses, meaning that the trader will be barred from conducting business with any of them.

Paz told IDEX that the trader's expulsion is not limited to a certain amount of time and that there is "no forum for appeal."

Israel is concluding its term as chair of the Kimberley Process and has led the international struggle to stem trade in diamonds from Zimbabwe, which are the subject of controversy following continued reports of human rights abuses perpetrated by security forces patrolling the country's diamond fields. The KP recently reiterated a ban on all exports of Zimbabwe diamonds.