Chronicle Editor
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
ONE of the two men accused of using fake immigration stamps to clear travellers into Zimbabwe and South Africa has been fined $100 000 for illegal possession of articles to commit a crime.
Farai Munyai (42) was arrested on April 5 along with Trymore Mhlanga (30) after they were found with two fake immigration date stamps and two processed fake Covid-19 clearance certificates.
The two men denied charges of violating sections of the Immigration Act and the Criminal Law, Codification, and Reform Act when they appeared before Beitbridge magistrate Ms Annia Chimweta.
However, Munyai was convicted on the strength of the State’s case while Mhlanga was acquitted.
Munyai risks imprisonment for four months if he fails to pay the fine under the Immigration Act.
On the second count, he was slapped with a $20 000 fine or 21 days imprisonment.
Prosecuting, Ms Fezile Mpofu said Munyai and Mhlanga were raided by a security team at a house in Dulivhadzimu suburb on April 5 as they went about their illegal business.
She said the police recovered two fake Medlabs Covid-19 clearance certificates which had been processed for Kizito and Patience Mupodori.
Ms Mpofu added that the two were also in possession of one fake Zimbabwean Immigration date stamp, one fake South African immigration stamp, a canon printer, a Toshiba laptop, stapler and 16 gig memory card.
A Toshiba laptop they were using to run their operations and four Zimbabwean passports, which were pending clearance by the two were also recovered by the security team. — @tupeyo.
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