Eye-opening case: Man utilises OPC for tax evasion

Michael Mashiri

A man who allegedly used number plates belonging to the Office of the President in a bid to evade tax has appeared in court.

Patrick Mutodi, 50, of Tudor Gardens, Harare, appeared before magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts.

The State, through prosecutor Pardon Dziva, alleges that sometime in May 2018, accused person who was working together with another accused still at large came up with a plan to defraud institutions responsible for car importation, registration and administration namely Zimra, Zinara, Central, CVR, CIO and the Office of the President.

It is alleged that accused smuggled a Toyota Fortuner from South Africa into Zimbabwe.

In a bid to register the car at CVR under the category of exemptions, they connived with Mutodi and another accused person who is still at large who had access to registration plates at Central Intelligent Organisation who then supplied registration book and number plates belonging to the Office of the President and Cabinet to Mutodi.

Mutodi, knowing that he was neither a government official nor a diplomat, went on to fasten the registration numbers on the smuggled car so as to evade payment of tax, vehicle licences fees as well as toll fees nationwide.

He allegedly went on to benefit from all these benefits pretending to be a government official from 2018 to August 2023.

The offence came to light when the Office of the President and Cabinet witnessed an upsurge of their missing exempted plates circulating on the market and reported the matter to police for investigations.

As a result of accused persons’ conduct the President’s Office and Cabinet of Zimbabwe suffered prejudiced good administration.

Mutodi was ordered to deposit US$600 as bail and will appear in court on November 28 for his routine remand.