Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini
Top logistics company Expert Freight Private Limited’s accountant has been implicated in a fraud storm involving ZIG130 000.
The suspect Bright Machawira was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai.
The complainant is the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority represented by Samuel Munapo, it’s loss control officer.
The court heard that in 1991, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority introduced its Automated System for Customers Data (ASCUDA) for the clearance of all imported and exported for taxes in both ZWL and Forex currencies.
The authority also introduced a separate business partner (BP) number to all approved ZIMRA agencies in respect to their prepayment account.
In order to clearly separate and account for taxes in both currencies, Zimra introduced a separate business partner (BP) number to all approved ZIMRA agencies in respect to their prepayment account.
Procedurally, for all imported goods or services an agent was mandated to calculate duty in respect to the goods imported and exported by a client and upon approval the agent will deposit the said amount into ZIMRA’s account which will automatically reflect in agent’s prepayment account.
In turn, the agent would then clear its client’s goods or service using information from its account.
On August 2 2024, Machawira hatched a plan to defraud Zimra and on the same day he allegedly connived with Robert Horomani, a ZIMRA accounting officer who has since appeared in court.
They made a misrepresentation to ZIMRA that Expert Freight (Pvt) Limited registered under BP number G0200165265 had deposited ZIG130 799-00 into the ZIMRA BANC ABC account.
On that same day, Robert Horomani created fictitious figure or amount of money amounting to ZIG130 799-00 to appear as if Machawira had deposited ZIG130 799-00 into ZIMRA BANCABC account number 10164883902011 under receipt number R60147.
Machawira went on to clear goods worth ZIG130 799-00.
As a result of his actions, Zimra cleared goods totalling to ZIG130 799-00 to its prejudice and nothing was recovered.
Mathew Masinge