Wenslus Murape
Zvikomborero Parafini
A 26-YEAR-OLD car dealer was yesterday dragged to court after being implicated in a rebate fraud in which he is alleged to have connived with a civil servant to fraudulently import a car.
Panashe Chawatama was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare magistrate, Marewanazvo Gofa, who released him US$100 bail.
Chawatama’s accomplice, Yvonne Musoni, is believed to be still at large.
The court heard that in 2022, the Government gazetted Statutory Instrument 124 of 2022 of the Customs and Excise (General) (Amendment) Regulations, 2022 (No.109).
This meant civil servants, who have served in the civil service for 10 years and more, were to be granted rebate by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to import motor vehicles aged less than 10.
The value of the cars had to fall within their employment grades without paying import duty. Sometime in August 2022, Chawatama, in connivance with Musoni, imported a car using the name of Munyaradzi Chanakira through the civil servant’s vehicle rebate scheme.
They purchased a Mercedes Benz E-Class, chassis number WDD2120592A845267 from South Africa, using Chanakira’s name.
The duo forged a rebate letter with the intention to defraud ZIMRA and presented it to Nigel Chapungu, a ZIMRA Beitbridge Border Post official, purporting that the rebate letter was genuine.
Chapungu enquired the authenticity of the fake rebate letter through email to Yvonne Musoni and she confirmed that the rebate letter was authentic while in actual fact it was not.
Investigations established that Chanakira had applied for and was authorised by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to import a Toyota Vitz, not Mercedes Benz, which was imported by the two.
Investigations established that Chanakira died on July 5.
Zimra lost US$9 500 in the fraudulent deal.
Online Reporter