SISTER-IN-CHARGE ARRESTED OVER DUTY FREE CAR

A sister-in-charge at St Luke’s Mission Hospital and a driver employed by the Ministry of Health and Child Care have appeared in court for fraudulently creating and using a fake rebate letter to import a vehicle into the country duty-free.

Dzingai Sibanda (46) and Samuel Gerald Doma (36) appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje charged with fraud. They were granted US$50 bail each and will return to court on February 6.

The State alleges that in March last year Sibanda bought a Nissan Advan vehicle from Qadeer N Brothers Trading CC in South Africa

The same month she initiated the application for a rebate to import her vehicle duty free under the civil servants motor vehicle rebate scheme through the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion.

But not wanting to wait for the approval she instead had Doma create a fake rebate letter to import the vehicle, paying him US$50.

The court heard that Doma by-passed the official channel of making an application for rebate through Zimra and unlawfully generated a fake rebate letter in the name of Sibanda dated 13 March 2023 with reference number 09/28/3/833/23 and forwarded it to Sibanda.

Sibanda forwarded the fake letter to Dennis Keizi, to facilitate clearance of the vehicle at Beitbridge border post.

Keizi engaged Getrude Chibaba, an agent based in Beitbridge, and forwarded her the vehicle import documents as well as the fake rebate letter to clear the vehicle at the border.

Chibaba presented the fake rebate letter and other vehicle import documents to Zimra officials at Beitbridge border post for clearance of the vehicle.

But Zimra officers established that the rebate letter was fake and impounded the vehicle. Herald

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