Man imports car using fake civil servants rebate l...

Man imports car using fake civil servants rebate letter

Michael Mashiri

A man employed by the Zimbabwe Republic Police has been arraigned to court for generating a fake rebate letter.

Alfred Makaya, 31, of Cowdray Park, Bulawayo, appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Courts charged with fraud.

He was granted US$100 bail and will appear in court on April 2, for his routine remand.

The complainant in this matter is Zimra, represented by Epson Moyo.

The State alleges that in December 2022, one Noah Munongoverwa bought a Honda Fit motor vehicle from WANIA Motors Private Limited which is a South African Company for US$1 500 and was given an Invoice.

The car was manufactured in 2013, in the process he decided to import his motor vehicle using the civil servant rebate scheme facility.

It is alleged that on December 12, 2022, Munongoverwa, made an application for approval to purchase a car under a civil servants’ rebate scheme and forwarded the application to Zimbabwe Republic Police, Bulawayo Suburban District Headquarters and it was duly recommended for onward transmission to Police General Headquarters by the officer commanding police for Bulawayo Suburban District.

It is alleged that, fully aware that he had not completed the application process and had not been granted authorisation by Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion and bypassing the authorisation process from Ministry and the normal channel of applying for a valid rebate letter to Zimra, on December 13, 2023, Munongoverwa approached Makaya for assistance to obtain a rebate letter and he accepted to assist at a fee.

It is alleged that Munongoverwa gave copies of his national identity card, police identity card, current payslip, invoice for the car and the drivers’ licence to Makaya to facilitate the generation of the fake rebate letter and paid him US$210.

A few days later, it is alleged that Makaya sent Munongoverwa a soft copy of a fake rebate letter dated December 15, 2022, reference number 9/28/3/4633/22 in the name of Munongoverwa via WhatsApp and told him to proceed to Beitbridge Border Post to collect his car.

In February 2023, Munongoverwa, went to Beitbridge Border Post with the aim of clearing his car using the fraudulently obtained rebate letter.

It is alleged that Munongoverwa then engaged a clearing agent, one Donald Kahukwa and gave him the fake rebate letter together with other vehicle importation documents which he presented to Zimra officials at the border.

Believing the rebate letter to be genuine and assuming Munongoverwa was a duly authorised civil servant to import a car on rebate, the Zimra official cleared the vehicle and waived duty payment since a rebate letter had been presented to them.

Munongoverwa registered the car with the Central Vehicle Registry in his name and registration number was issued.

The State alleges that, when the two bypassed the rebate letter application process and generated the fake rebate letter, they knew very well that they did not have authorisation from Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion and from Zimra to import the vehicle.

As a result, Zimra suffered an actual prejudice through unpaid duty of US$2 496.64 and ZWL$1 008 173.66.