Saturday 14 September 2019

TAPFUMA DUMPS PROMINENT LAWYER


Former State house director Douglas Tapfuma has dumped his legal practitioner in favour of prominent lawyer Jonathan Samkange after an unsuccessful bail bid at the High Court.

Tapfuma (53) who was initially represented by Valentine Mutatu, hired Samkange to represent his bail bid at the lower court on changed circumstances.

The ex-State house director appeared before magistrate Hosea Mujaya who remanded him to Monday for bail application saying the court was overwhelmed.

Tapfuma initially filed for bail at the lower courts, but a Harare magistrate dismissed the application, with the High Court also upholding the dismal.

It is alleged that on April 17, 2018 Tapfuma allegedly assigned Bonani Ganyane an officer working in the transport section of the Department of State Residences to proceed to Beitbridge and facilitate clearance of his two personal vehicles using report order forms as if they were government vehicles.

It is the State case that clearance of goods by report order form is a clearance procedure that is normally used by government departments to apply for deferred clearance of goods from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.

After clearing the alleged vehicles, Tapfuma allegedly instructed Ganyane to hand over the vehicles to Vongaishe Mupereri who at that time was MP for Mbizo.

The court heard that on April 20, 2018 Tapfuma made an application to the Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and cabinet requesting for duty-free certificates in the name of the President’s Department and they were issued.

Tapfuma allegedly applied for duty exemption for the vehicles at Zimra which was granted.

The vehicles were liable to excise duty of US$3 180. Newsday

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