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Yeukai Karengezeka
Court Correspondent
A FUEL importer is accused of defrauding ZINARA of US$36 000 using fake receipts.
Pedzisai Mudiwa (34) of Harare was remanded on US$200 bail by Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi to November 4 on two counts of fraud.
In the first count, the complainant is ZINARA represented by its Risk and Loss Control officer Mr Norman Tavengwa.
Prosecutor Mr Rufaro Chonzi alleged that in 2022, Mudiwa defraudued Zinara when he imported fuel through Forbes Border Post in Mutare.
He allegedly connived with Tinapan Investments Pvt Ltd, Tinashe Jongwe and Panashe Jongwe and forged fake ZINARA receipts showing they had paid the 6 percent ZINARA road funds. The fake receipts were then tendered to the Ministry of Energy and Power Development to obtain a fuel import permit.
As a result, they successfully obtained the permits and imported the fuel without having paid a total of US$36 100 ZINARA road funds.
Acting on those fake documents, the Ministry of Energy and Power Development issued support letters to Mudiwa to obtain a fuel import permit from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
The court heard that information was later received from a source that Mudiwa applied for fuel import permits using fake ZINARA receipts. Investigations were made and the ZINARA receipts tendered to the Ministry of Energy and Power Development were obtained. It was discovered they were not in the ZINARA system.
As a result of Mudiwa’s action, ZINARA suffered prejudice of US$36 100, being 6 percent of the total cost of fuel imported.
On the second count, the complainant is Vifot Investment [Pvt] Ltd, a Zimbabwean entity which held a Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority licence to import fuel in 2022. It is being represented by its purchasing Manager Felix Bvute.
Mudiwa imported the 19 consignments using the import permit based on the fake receipts using the name of Vifot Investment, although he had nothing to do with that company. The company was also unaware he was using their name.
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