Man Defrauds ZINARA of US$36k in Fuel Import Scam

Munyaradzi Mashiri

Zim Now Court Correspondent

A man accused of defrauding ZINARA of US$36,100 has appeared in court facing fraud charges.

Pedzisai Mudiwa, 34, from Hatfield, Harare, stood before the Harare Magistrates’ Courts. He has been charged with fraud and was granted bail of US$200. Mudiwa is expected to return to court on November 4, 2024.

The complainant in the case is ZINARA, represented by its Risk and Loss Control Officer.

The State alleges that in 2022, Mudiwa sought to import fuel through Forbes Border Post in Mutare. Working in collaboration with Tinashe Jongwe under Tinapan Investment Private Limited, Mudiwa fraudulently used credentials belonging to Vifot Investments Private Limited without the company’s knowledge or consent.

Between February 1 and August 31, 2022, Mudiwa and his accomplices allegedly devised a scheme to defraud ZINARA. The group generated fake ZINARA receipts, falsely claiming that they had paid the 6% road fund required for fuel imports.

The fake receipts were then submitted to the Ministry of Energy and Power Development as proof of payment, enabling them to obtain fuel import permits. Through this fraudulent scheme, they successfully imported fuel without paying the US$36,100 owed to ZINARA.

The court heard that the Ministry of Energy and Power Development issued support letters to Mudiwa, which were used to secure fuel import permits from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Using these permits, the accused and his associates imported fuel while bypassing the mandatory ZINARA road fund payments.

Investigations into the matter were triggered when information surfaced that Mudiwa had applied for fuel import permits using fake ZINARA receipts.

Upon reviewing the receipts submitted to the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, ZINARA confirmed that the receipts did not exist in their system and were not issued by them.

As a result, ZINARA incurred an actual loss of US$36,100, representing the unpaid 6% road fund on the fuel consignment. To date, no amount has been recovered.

In a related incident, the court was informed that Mudiwa, along with Tinashe and Panashe Jongwe of Tinapan Investments Private Limited, had also fraudulently obtained a fuel import license and associated documents in the name of Vifot Investments Pvt Ltd, again without the company’s consent.

Using the forged documents, Mudiwa facilitated the application for 19 fuel import permits from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. These permits allowed for the successful importation of 19 fuel consignments through Forbes Border Post in Mutare, all under Vifot Investments' name, without the company's knowledge or authorization.

This fraudulent activity not only caused financial loss but also damaged the complainant’s reputation and compromised administrative processes.