Zimpapers Logo

Yeukai Karengezeka –  Court Correspondent 

A pair using fake civil servants rebate letters to import three vehicles, thus prejudicing the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) of US$13 500 in customs duty, have appeared in court.

Hazel Mufu (32) and Emmanuel Nyagano (25) last week appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje charged with fraud. They were remanded on bail of $400 000 each to August 10.

Prosecuting, Mr Pardon Dziva alleged that sometime in July 2022, Mufu and Nyagano purchased a Toyota Sienta 2013 model from Japan.

Although not a civil servant, Mufu forged the civil servant rebate letter in the name of Dumiso Sibanda a civil servant in the Ministry of Home Affairs without his consent or even telling him and went on to present the forged rebate letter to Nyagano who imported the vehicle using that rebate letter.

In August 2022, Mufu’s vehicle arrived at Chirundu Border Post and they tendered a fraudulently obtained rebate letter resulting in her being exempted from paying duty for the motor vehicle. Nyagano had successfully imported the vehicle without paying duty and taxes for the vehicle and Mufu proceeded to register the vehicle in the name of Dumiso Sibanda.

Mufu started to use the vehicle for pirating around Harare suburbs without the knowledge of Mr Sibanda.

The court also heard in September last year, the two purchased a Toyota Sienta 2014 model, forged the civil servant rebate letter in the name of Ereck Chemhere a civil servant in the Ministry of Defence again without telling him or his consent and went on to present a forged rebate letter to Nyagano who imported the vehicle.

She was exempted from duty and she started using the vehicle for pirating around Harare suburbs without the knowledge of Mr Chemhere.

In February this year, the pair approached Constantine Mhindurwa and offered him a fraudulent rebate in the name of William Chadomunhu at a total price of US$1 000. The rebate was used by Temba Makumborega to purchase a Mazda Demio.

Nyagano successfully imported the vehicle without paying duty and taxes and Mufu registered the vehicle in the name of William Chadomunhu, the whole business once again done without the civil servants knowledge or consent.

She started using the vehicle for pirating around Harare suburbs without the knowledge of Mr Chadomunhu.

The scam came to light during the course of investigating the abuse of the civil servants vehicle import rebate scheme by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission which led to the arrest of the accused and the seizure of the motor vehicles.

As a result of the misrepresentation, Zimra suffered a prejudice of US$13 500 being unpaid import duty.