Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) licensing officer Patricia Chikorwe, stationed at the Harare Exhibition Park Branch, has been sentenced to three years in jail. Chikorwe was convicted of 258 counts of criminal abuse of office for manipulating the vehicle licensing system, resulting in a loss of potential revenue of US$168,458 for ZINARA.
The charges relate to corruption in manipulating the vehicle licensing system. Chikorwe distorted expiration dates and arrears owed by motorists for personal gain.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) issued a statement confirming the charges and conviction. The ruling was made by the Harare Magistrates’ Court. ZimLive cites the NPA as saying:
On 258 occasions, the accused person unlawfully used her position and access to an error correction facility on the licensing system and altered licensing dates for certain vehicles.
The NPA revealed that Patricia Chikorwe manipulated the vehicle licensing system by fraudulently removing arrears and penalties. This led other ZINARA licensing officers to license certain vehicles based on incorrect information. ZINARA discovered the crime in 2018.
In a separate incident the previous year, 14 ZINARA employees were arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) for creating fake tap cards and swiping them for motorists at the Shurugwi tollgate, resulting in fraud involving US$9.8 million.
Corruption at ZINARA is impeding its ability to provide resources for road maintenance, construction, and related services. Consequently, the government must obtain loans from international financial institutions to fund infrastructure projects, including road rehabilitation.