Zimra employee nabbed for $5,5k theft

Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) employee allegedly stole $5,500 in import duties after redeploying himself to a department from which he had been transferred.

Itai Gerald Chamunorwa, 28, allegedly retained a date stamp from the compliance department, which he used to clear the imports.

He pleaded not guilty to criminal abuse of office before Beitbridge magistrate Godswill Mavenge who remanded him out of custody to April 6.

Chamunorwa, the court heard, was transferred from the compliance department in December last year to the bonds department.

Compliance officers ensure that importers or exporters pay the requisite customs duty to government while the bonds department check on imports departure validations.

He allegedly redeployed himself to the compliance desk where he cleared goods which were being imported from South Africa in three vehicles, and pocketed the $5,500 in import duty.

Prosecuting, Pernson Chekeya said Chamunorwa was transferred from the compliance section on December 14 last year.

He said Chamunorwa was supposed to surrender the Zimra date stamp number 613 which he had been allocated to use under the compliance section but he held on to it.

Chamunorwa, Chekeya said, was allocated another date stamp number 894 at the new department.

The prosecutor said on March 5 this year, Chamunorwa reported for duty at the bonds section and logged in the work register.

“He then deployed himself to the Compliance section at the Red Route which is used by private importers. He cleared three vehicles which were carrying an assortment of goods and validated their importation using the Zimra date stamp number 613,” said Chekeya.

The court heard how the three vehicles were intercepted by the police anti-smuggling unit as they were about to leave the border post.

“Detectives asked the importers to produce import documents but they failed. They had three gate passes which had been stamped by Chamunorwa,” said the prosecutor.

Investigations were then made leading to the recovery of two Zimra date stamps numbers 613 and 894 from Chamunorwa’s vehicles which were parked at the border post.