FAKE REBATE LETTER LANDS CIVIL SERVANT IN TROUBLE

A CIVIL servant and his accomplices have been charged with fraud for allegedly using a fake rebate authorisation letter to import a vehicle.

Never Matika (43) appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts yesterday charged with fraud.

He was released on bail and will be back in court on February 6 for a trial date.

The State said in October 2022, Matika identified a Nissan Lafesta that he wanted to buy through a dealership where Misheck Chimuka was the administrator.

He contacted Chimuka and settled for a 2012 Nissan Lafesta.

He notified Chimuka that it would be imported using the Civil Servants Rebate Scheme.

Matika submitted an application for rebate to import the vehicle duty-free under the scheme.

However, Matika’s application for rebate clearance was rejected by ZIMRA which cited that the vehicle was a March 2012 model, and was more than 10 years from the date of manufacture.

Matika informed Chimuka who was told to pay US$1 300 to facilitate entry of the vehicle into the country.

Chimuka connived with Yvone Tambudzai Musoni and fraudulently generated a counterfeit rebate letter.

He forwarded the letter to ZIMRA Beitbridge Border Post group e-mail for customs pre-clearance.

After receiving the letter, Sharon Muromba, a ZIMRA official, sent it for verification and it was passed as authentic by her colleague, despite the full knowledge that it was fake.

Further investigations showed that the reference number on the counterfeit rebate letter belonged to a letter issued to another civil servant, who had already imported a Subaru Imprezza Sports, under the scheme.

The accused and his accomplices’ actual prejudice to ZIMRA, by evading import duty, was US$3 489.