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Prosper Dembedza, Court Correspondent
A 26-year-old Harare car dealer yesterday appeared in court on allegations of forging rebate documents to import vehicles, thereby depriving the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority of revenue.
Panashe Chawatama was facing fraud charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate, Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa.
He was remanded in custody to August 16 for bail application. It is the State’s case that sometime in August 2022, Chawatama in connivance with Yvonne Musoni who is still at large hatched a plan to defraud Zimra by fraudulently importing a motor vehicle through the civil servant’s vehicle rebate scheme using Munyaradzi Chanakira’s name.
On May 22, 2022, the accused person purchased a Mercedes Benz E-Class from South Africa.
The court heard that sometime in August 2022, Chawatama and Musoni forged a rebate letter and Chawatama went to Beitbridge Border Post with the letter.
He presented it to a Zimra Beitbridge Border Post official, Nigel Chapungu, as a genuine letter.
Chapungu enquired about the authenticity of the letter via email and Musoni said it was authentic.
Acting on the misrepresentation, Chapungu generated an assessment number that waived the import duty.
Investigations established that Chanakira had applied and was authorised by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to import a Toyota Vitz, not the Mercedes Benz that was imported by the accused.
Investigations further established that Chanakira died on July 1, 2022, before the Mercedes Benz was imported in August 2022.
As a result of the misrepresentation, the Zimra suffered a prejudice of US$9 500.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter