By Elishamai A. Ziumbwa
A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) official and four customs clearing agents have been arrested in connection with a high-level smuggling syndicate accused of defrauding the state of an unspecified amount of revenue.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) confirmed the arrests stating the suspects allegedly colluded to falsify customs declarations and smuggle undeclared goods into the country through the Forbes Border Post.
ZACC spokesperson, Commissioner Thandiwe Mlobane said the clearing agents worked hand-in-glove with ZIMRA officers to misrepresent imported goods as agricultural equipment in order to avoid paying the appropriate customs duty.
The arrested individuals have been named as Collins Chakamavinga a ZIMRA revenue officer and four clearing agents Michael Makonye, Batsirai Mangoma, Zondai Bechayi and Steven Masaraure linked to Withyou Customs Clearing (Pvt) Ltd and Tayema Investments (Pvt) Ltd.
“They are believed to have falsely declared the contents of two Mozambican-registered trucks as agricultural machinery. However, investigations revealed the trucks were carrying a variety of undeclared goods that attracted higher customs duty.”
The trucks were intercepted during routine checks, and ZACC investigators say the manifests were deliberately falsified to facilitate the smuggling operation.
“Investigations found that Chakamavinga, together with another ZIMRA officer Hillary Chiwanba released the trucks without conducting any physical inspection or scanning. Even after the trucks had been flagged and sent for re-examination, one of them was still released without proper checks. The motive behind this remains under investigation,” ZACC said
The suspects were arrested over the weekend and were expected to appear before the Mutare Magistrates’ Court to face charges related to fraud and abuse of duty.
