Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is reportedly unhappy with Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu after the country's finance minister reported that millions of dollars in revenue from diamond sales was missing from the Treasury, the Zimdaily.com news website reports.

Last week, Finance Minister Tendai Biti openly accused Mpofu of lying about two allegedly missing sums of money that should have made their way into the government's coffers: amounts of $174.2 million and $125.8 million.

Sources in Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, which is seeking to stay in power in this year's elections, told Zimdaily.com that Mpofu's announcement that the money from the sales of rough diamonds was available to be dispersed had prompted the president to promise civil servants significant salary increases.

But the money is not to be found and Mugabe's supporters feel that he has been portrayed as a liar.

A Zanu-PF source referred to "lies [Mpofu] has been feeding the president since he became minister of mines… now the president has to face the nation."