Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike, Harare Bureau
A MAJOR multi-agency operation targeting illicit financial flows across Zimbabwe’s borders — including tax evasion and entrenched corruption — is now in full swing, as the country intensifies efforts to recover an estimated US$70 million in misappropriated funds.
International agencies have been enlisted to support local authorities in tracking down the money and assets acquired, as well as dismantling cross-border financial crime syndicates that fuel economic sabotage.
The sweeping operation, which targets both assets and cash, is being led by the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), with backing from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), and Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc). These local institutions are now working alongside selected international law enforcement and financial crime agencies.
The international partners — whose identities remain confidential for operational reasons — are said to be assisting with forensic audits, cross-border asset tracking, and intelligence-sharing on transnational networks suspected of laundering money and evading tax through falsified declarations, shell companies, and digital system manipulation.
Authorities say the operation is focused on dismantling networks that use fraudulent data to under-declare taxable transactions, launder profits, and exploit digital platforms to evade detection. Officials and employees within customs, tax, and regulatory agencies who are suspected of collusion are also under investigation.
According to the NPAZ, which is leading the prosecutorial arm of the operation, the involvement of international agencies is critical to following the money trail across borders and uncovering offshore accounts, hidden property holdings, and foreign-registered vehicles of crime — both to prove offences were committed and to recover the funds for Zimbabwe.
“There is a permanent inter-agency task team that sits on an ad-hoc basis whenever there is an important matter that needs a joint investigation or joint attention of all agencies. This scenario we are currently faced with is one of such cases, which involves international co-operation and domestic co-operation of various agencies of the State.
“The importance of this case is that there is a massive fraud, racketeering, organised crime and money laundering. All this sophisticated fraud has caused serious, massive prejudice to the economy of this country and has a potentially far-reaching effect on the fiscus,” the NPAZ said.
According to the NPAZ, the Prosecutor General has been tasked with guiding the investigations in this joint effort.
“This investigation involves the Prosecutor General, as the co-ordinator or the co-ordinating agent of this investigation. It then includes the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, ZRP’s Commercial Crimes Division, and other specialist agencies such as the FIU and Zimra.
“We are going to have a joint effort. It must involve quick tracing and identification of all proceeds of crime. Once we locate all proceeds of crime, we must preserve those assets and determine the extent of the prejudice. We are going to preserve and ultimately confiscate them,” it said.
The NPAZ indicated that the investigations are also targeting individuals and organisations operating “remotely”.
“Whenever there is a case of racketeering, we are not only targeting those people that we can see at face value. We are including everybody, including those who may seem to be remote, but are directly benefiting from the proceeds of crime.
“Often, people use companies as a veil to mask their involvement, claiming they were not present, but at the end of the day, they are the brains and masterminds of these criminal syndicates. This is the extent to which we are going to set an example,” it said.
The NPAZ indicated that prosecution will be conducted in the Anti-Corruption Court, either at magistrates’ court for some cases, while more complex matters will be brought before dedicated judges assigned by the High Court of Zimbabwe.
The participation of foreign investigative bodies allows access to encrypted communications, offshore banking jurisdictions, and global financial intelligence networks, enhancing the reach and credibility of the operation.
Zacc also confirmed that a major joint operation is underway.
“I can confirm that a joint investigation is underway, but we cannot share any further details at this stage. Zacc has the capacity to investigate financial crimes. The commission also collaborates with other investigating agencies to augment skills and expertise not readily available within the institution,” said Zacc corporate communications manager Ms Simiso Mlevu.
Recently, Zimra officials Shupikai Mary Nicola Marongwe (52), a database administrator, and Paradzai Mutasa (35), a systems developer, appeared in court on allegations of manipulating the organisation’s systems and defrauding it of over US$6,3 million.
The duo is charged with criminal abuse of office as public officers and, alternatively, fraud.
They allegedly exploited Zimra’s ongoing Zimbabwe Electronic Single Window project, designed to integrate with the Automated System for Customs Data. This project aims to streamline import and export processes and permit management to enhance the ease of doing business.
The alleged fraud began on September 4, 2024, when a Ugandan consultant, Innocent Onega, working on the single window project, requested Marongwe to create a view-only account to link the automated customs data system with the single window system.
Instead, Marongwe and Mutasa allegedly created an unauthorised account, ZESW-ASYCUDA, which had extensive rights to edit, delete, and update databases without supervisory approval, in violation of Zimra’s change management policies.
They reportedly recruited several clearing agents nationwide and inflated their prepayment accounts by creating fictitious deposit entries. These false entries misrepresented that the agents had deposited funds into Zimra’s bank accounts.
The agents then used the inflated balances to clear goods through customs without paying the required duties. In return, the duo would allegedly receive cash kickbacks from the agents, which they converted to personal use while sharing proceeds with the agents.
