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A ZIMRA agency and its director has appeared in court answering to theft charges involving over US$400 000.
Tinapan Investment and its director, Tinashe Jongwe of Beitbridge, appeared before Harare magistrate Taurai Manuwere yesterday.
Jongwe was released on $300 000 bail. The complainant is the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, represented by Ngonidzashe Mutswiri, who is employed as a compliance officer.
Tinapan Investments is a duly registered company, which specialises in customs clearance, and is based in Beitbridge and is also a registered agent with Zimra.
The company holds a prepayment account, which is used for the purposes of clearing goods.
The court heard that on February 8 this year, Chotas Investments deposited US$3658 into Tinapan Investments’ ZIMRA Prepayment account through Agribank Wedza branch.
The money was supposed to be converted into RTGS, using the interbank rate, giving a total amount of $437 373.
The transferred amount mistakenly appeared on the ZIMRA interface account as US$437433 and was credited into the company’s Prepayment account.
Jongwe allegedly went on to use the US$437 433 to pay duty for importation of motor vehicles and fuel on several entries.
On September 16, Zimra discovered, through a post clearance audit, that a fraudulent deposit amounting to US$437,433 was processed online with Agribank into Tinapan’s account.
It generated a receipt number R8855.
The deposit was fraudulently and fully used by Jongwe and nothing was credited into ZIMRA.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter