adminDepartment to launch investigations into the cases.
It is believed some immigration officials are allegedly conniving with unscrupulous businesspeople to forge immigration stamps and issuing permanent resident permits and re-entry visas to unsuspecting foreigners for a fee.
Investigations have so far revealed that the foreign nationals are being charged between US$750 and US$1 000 for the fake stamps yet such services are for free at any immigration office.
So far the department has arrested 15 foreigners this year in connection with the cases and have since cancelled the visas which were issued by some of these unscrupulous businesspeople who operate consultancies in the city.
Assistant Regional Immigration Officer Mr Evans Siziba urged people especially foreigners to avoid dealing with third parties but to approach any of their offices if they need assistance.
“We strongly believe that some of the consultant companies are working with some of the corrupt officials internally and issuing fake stamps and re-visas to unsuspecting foreigners.
“Some of the services that these people (foreigners) are made to pay, are for free at our offices,” he said.
He said the department has noticed that most foreigners were losing their hard earned cash and should be aware of these criminal intentions.
“As a control measure, we have also put some stringent measures to our officers who issue visas,” Mr Siziba said.
He said now they would thoroughly check all passports of foreigners who require re-entry visas.
Mr Siziba said, “We call upon all those who were issued with visas or stamps from consultant companies to come forward so that they will be assisted.
“And if they don’t come forward, once they are caught, they will be prosecuted in terms of the Immigration Act.”
He said they would give them a three-month window period and after that there were would no negotiations but those caught would be prosecuted.
In May, a Harare businessman was arrested on allegations of forging immigration stamps and issuing resident permits to foreigners.
Emmanuel Pasipanodya, a director of Empal Consultants located at Newlands Shopping Centre, issued forged permanent immigration resident permits to two foreigners after defrauding them US$2 700.
On April 11, 2011, immigration officers received information that there were some foreigners who were staying illegally in the country.
Upon receiving the information, the officers went to a house in Strathaven where they found Belly Nicholas Joseph, Penny Marie Pcot and Basil John Seeber.
Investigations revealed that Seeber had a South African passport, which was dated June 15, 2010 on a re-entry visa.
The officers investigated and found out that there were no records of his re-entry visa.
Further checks revealed that Seeber was out of the country for 23 years and lost domicile in terms of the Immigration Act. Checks also revealed that Seeber came back on June 15, 2010 via the Beitbridge border post on a holiday visa valid for 30 days and at the same time he was issued with a forged residence permit by Pasipanodya after paying US$1 400.
Jason David Massiani, an Italian who was also defrauded got the shock of his life when he got to the immigration headquarters seeking the renewal of his re-entry visa. Upon checking the officers discovered that he had not applied for any permit in Zimbabwe.
Investigations revealed that he was born on January 28, 1980 in Harare and had been in and out of the country between 2000 and 2009.
Further investigations showed that Massiani entered the country through Harare International Airport as a visitor using a new Italian passport.
Massiani’s passport was stamped with a forged immigration stamp and was granted a permanent resident permit and a re-entry visa at a fee of US$1 300 by Pasipanodya.
Online Reporter