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Laurel Murangaridzirayi, [email protected]

A 43-YEAR-OLD Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) officer stationed at Khami Prisons on the outskirts of Bulawayo allegedly defrauded a friend of US$4 500 after importing the car on his behalf using fake rebate documents. 

Lloyd Tsatsa of Cowdray Park suburb allegedly approached a colleague, Maushe Machemedze and offered to assist him import a car from a South Africa using a civil servants’ vehicle import rebate scheme.

He charged Machemedze US$200 being the agent fee.

Tsatsa was not asked to plead when he appeared before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Ms Nomalanga Maphosa facing fraud charges.

He was remanded out of custody to 19 July on $300 000 bail. As part of the bail conditions, Tsatsa was ordered not to interfere with State witnesses and to continue residing at his given address.

He was also ordered to report to Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) offices in Bulawayo on Mondays and Fridays until the matter is finalised.

Prosecuting, Mr Sam Mpofu said during the period stretching from December last year to early  March this year, Machemedze gave Tsatsa a total of US$4 500 to cover for the price of the motor vehicle and agent fees of US$200,00 so that the accused could complete the process of importing a car for him.

“Tsatsa then bought the car, a Nissan Note from Quest Royal Investments in South Africa and generated a document purporting to be a Zimra rebate letter so that he could import the car without paying duty,” he said.

The court heard that upon arrival at Beitbridge Border Post in March, Tsatsa presented to a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officer a fake rebate letter and successfully imported the car.

The car was later seized by Zimra after investigations established that a fake rebate letter was used to import it.

“The rebate number which is on the complainant’s letter belonged to a different rebate beneficiary,” said Mr Mpofu.

Tsatsa was arrested by Zacc officials following a report. Machemedze was prejudice of US$4 700 and nothing was recovered.