VISAS FOR SEVEN CHINESE NATIONALS : TWO IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS ARRESTED

Two immigration officers have been arrested for allegedly processing visas for seven Chinese nationals, including two who were already in police detention after being nabbed for flouting the country’s immigration laws, at Nyamapanda Border Post.

One of the Chinese nationals was about to be deported and was at Harare Remand Prison at the time his passport was being issued with a visa in Nyamapanda.

The other one was detained at Mutare Remand Prison at the time his passport was also issued with a visa.

Samson Mashura, an immigration officer, was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa, who released him on US$100 bail.

Mashura is employed by the Immigration Department of Zimbabwe as a Principal Immigrations Officer stationed at Nyamapanda Border Post.

Allegations are that on July 31 Mashura, working in connivance with Patience Chamboko, who was the head of shift for the day and has since been arrested on the same allegations, facilitated an unprocedural clearance of seven Chinese nationals into Zimbabwe.

They are Lin Lou, passport number EH0362720, Junhao Yu, passport number EK9329082, Libo Jiang, passport number EP3798262, Donghong Cao, passport number EF4739469, Shu Liu, passport number ED3457531, Ruizhu Fang passport number ED8835824 and Xiaojun Hung, passport number EP3798261.

Mashura allegedly brought the seven passports to Chamboko, who was in charge of the visa processing counter, and ordered her to process the visas for the Chinese nationals.

Through the Online Border Management System [OBMS] Chamboko processed the holiday visas for all the Chinese nationals.

Investigations have established that these Chinese nationals were not physically present at the border when their visas were processed.

None of the shift members saw these travellers at the border.

It was further established that Xiaojun Hung’s passport was cleared on August 31.

However, on the same day and at 2pm, the same person was being detained at Mutare Remand Prisons after being arrested as a Prohibited Immigrant and is still in custody to date.

According to the State, that evidence shows that he was not physically at the border post when the visa was processed.

It was further established that on July 31, Libo Jiang was also in detention at Harare remand prison, awaiting deportation, and wasn’t present when the visa was processed.

Investigations have established that Mashura was in constant communication with Chamboko regarding how they would write reports required by their superiors about the matter.

In these communications, Chamboko accused Mashura of misleading her into issuing visas to the Chinese nationals without gaining any benefit from the transaction.

Rufaro Chonzi appeared for the State. H Metro

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