A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) official stationed at Plumtree Border Post, has appeared before Bulawayo magistrate facing charges of fraud and criminal abuse of duty after he allegedly forged customs documents to facilitate the smuggling of 50 cars into the country.
The State alleges that the officer, Norest Ushe, who was working at the Zimra private imports section had the password into the ZIMRA system since he was responsible for the clearance of private goods. Prosecutor Mufaro Mageza said:
The SAP profile password which he had until September 26, 2019, was deactivated after investigations of misuse. Between May and September 24 this year, Ushe clandestinely captured into the Zimra system, information of 50 cars smuggled into the country thereby generating an equipment number which if punched would display the particulars of the vehicle and enable printing CCC on the serialised forms at any Zimra station or printing of protected format document on bond paper.
Mageza added that Ushe continued using the password even after being redeployed to a section that had nothing to do with data capture.
Ushe’s actions are said to have robbed the State of US$432 767, 54 and $1, 4 million in potential revenue.
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