ZACC nabs Zimra official over US$84k, $26m fraud

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) official has been arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission on allegations of fraud involving almost US$84 000 and $26 million. It is alleged that in January 2021, Forget Mguza, the Zimra staffer, and Chirro Investments director Trust Chiro, cleared five trucks at Beitbridge Border Post after falsely declaring that they were carrying goods in transit to Zambia, yet they were destined for Zimbabwe.

Chiro has already appeared in court on the same charges.

Mguza is alleged to have forged the signature of the late Ernest Muswera and fraudulently renewed the company bond of Enver Freight Services held by Zimra, in order to clear the trucks between February and March 2021, prejudicing the State of US$83 781,05 and $26 108 411,64. When three of the trucks were intercepted at Zindoga Shopping Centre in Harare, they were loaded with an assortment of groceries including washing powder, foam bath, lotions, chocolates, liquid soap, shoe polish and sweets.  

The other two trucks were driven to an unknown destination. Further investigations revealed that Mguza corruptly cleared the goods using the bond security of Enver Freight Services purporting that the trucks were carrying goods in transit to Zambia, yet they were destined for Zimbabwe.

It was also established that at the South African Revenue Services (SARS), the goods carried by the trucks had been cleared as destined for Chiro's Chitungwiza address. Mguza was granted $40 000 bail by a Beitbridge magistrate yesterday.