ZIMRA Employee Jailed For 14 Year For Defrauding The Revenue Collector
A former ZIMRA employee who was convicted of defrauding the taxman of over US530 000 through a car smuggling racket will rue the day she decided to engage in the illegal venture as she will spend 14 years behind bars, ZBC News reports.
Semkelwe Maphosa was convicted of forging clearance certificates for different vehicles worth millions of dollars in the 6 months between January and July last year.
Plumtree Regional Magistrate Bishard Chineke, suspended 5 years on her initial sentence of 14 years on condition that she won’t commit a similar crime within that period and 3 years were suspended on condition that she restitutes to Zimra $1 305 345,68 by December 30 this year.
In passing the sentence Chineke said;
Fraud is a very serious crime and what makes this offence even more serious is the number of counts, which are just too much and it shows that it was carefully planned. The amount of level of prejudice is high, which means she benefited immensely
Accused defrauded her employer on several occasions showing more of greed than necessity. Corruption is a cancer in Zimbabwe and those who commit such offenses deserve lengthy custodial sentences
In her defence, Maphosa said she was raising money for medication since she is suffering from an undisclosed ailment.
More: ZBC News
