'Prophet Magaya vehicle transfer forms fake'

THE trial of four men accused of fraudulently importing a Land Rover Discovery 4 from South Africa on behalf of Walter Magaya's Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries took a new turn yesterday with a police officer from the Vehicle Theft Squad (VTS) disputing the authenticity of the transfer of ownership form used to register the vehicle.

Detective Sergeant Wellington Shato of Bulawayo VTS told the court in the trial of Upenyu Mashangwa and three others that the transfer of ownership form used to register the Land Rover Discovery 4 had also been used to clear a VW Golf hatchback on behalf of the government.

Mashangwa is jointly charged with Cosmas Mushininga, Kudakwashe Larry Mapfumo and Clifford Tinashe Gonde for defrauding the church of $116 000 in a botched deal to import the Land Rover from South Africa or alternatively smuggling and failure to pay duty for the vehicle.

Shato in his evidence in chief told the court that the form reference number, 2345/14 used to clear the PHD car was, according to the Bulawayo VTS registration board, also used to clear a VW Golf hatchback.