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Beitbridge Bureau
A BOGUS clearing agent was on Friday jailed for three years for stealing and smuggling a Toyota Spacio belonging to a Harare man into the country through Beitbridge Border Post. Blessing Mutote of Dulibadzimu, Beitbridge, was arrested by police together with a colleague Pepukai Moyo after their vehicle smuggling racket was busted. At the time of their arrest, the pair had swindled various car importers of over $10 000.

The pair is also appearing before another magistrate on similar charges.
Mutote had denied theft of trust property, forgery, smuggling and unlicensed clearing charges when he appeared before the town’s magistrate Ms Gwineth Drawo.

He was convicted on the strength of overwhelming evidence against him.
Prosecutor Mr Foster Abheki told the court that between September 3 and 6 last year, Mutote, who is an unlicensed clearing agent was approached by one Alfonce Tazviona Mafuruta of Harare

Mafuruta had just bought a Toyota Spacio from South Africa and hired Mutote to facilitate the customs clearance at the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
The court heard that instead of facilitating the customs clearance at the Manica Transit Shed, Mutote told Mafuruta that the import duty for the vehicle was $1650.

After being given the money, Mutote forged the customs bill of entry P176418 and receipt number R337905. He then went to Manica warehouse where he by-passed the police border control unit and smuggled the vehicles out of the warehouse.

The issue came to light when Mafuruta wanted to get the vehicle registered. It was discovered that the duty was never paid to Zimra.
Mafuruta reported the matter to the police leading to Mutote’s arrest and the recovery of the forged documents.

The stolen money was not recovered since he had converted it to his own use.