3 car smugglers granted bail

Three men who allegedly smuggled top-of-the-range motor vehicles into Zimbabwe from South Africa by fraudulently fitting registration plates from the President's Office to evade taxes and toll fees have been granted US$1 000 bail each.

Harare regional Magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa on Friday ordered the trio to surrender their passports and to report thrice every week at the police station.

The matter was remanded on November 20.

Brian Matongo (41), Tinashe Kanda (41) and Elvis Jieman (38) are being charged with fraud and illegal importation of goods.

The State alleged that from 2018, the three connived with officers from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara), Central Vehicle Registration (CVR) and the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and fraudulently registered smuggled vehicles.

On December 12, 2018, Matongo, acting in connivance with Wisdom Ndebele who is still at large, smuggled a Toyota Fortuner with chassis number AHTJA3GSX00232098 from South Africa into Zimbabwe.

To avoid paying Zimra, Zinara and CVR tax, licences and toll fees, the two connived with Kanda who then supplied a vehicle registration book and number plate AFC 0405 which belongs to a vehicle used by the Office of the President and Cabinet.

Jieman evaded payment of tax, vehicle licence fees as well as toll fees nationwide from December 2018 to August 2023. The offence came to light when the Office of the President and Cabinet witnessed their exempted registration plates circulating on the market.

As a result, they reported the matter to the police for further investigations which led to the recovery of the vehicle and the registration plates which are currently held in police custody as exhibit.