Ex-ZIMRA Official in Vehicle Smuggling Scheme
Musoni allegedly gained unauthorized access to her supervisor’s computer and misused his electronic signature
Ex-ZIMRA Official in Vehicle Smuggling Scheme
A former employee of the ZIMRA, has been implicated in a large-scale fraudulent scheme involving the illegal importation of over 400 vehicles into the country.
As a former office assistant at ZIMRA’s Harare Port, Tambudzai Yvonne Musoni allegedly gained unauthorized access to her supervisor’s computer and misused his electronic signature to authorize the importation of vehicles under the civil servants rebate scheme.
This bold act of corruption has revealed the weaknesses of a system intended to help long-serving civil servants to buy their own vehicles.
Musoni’s bold maneuver represents over 10% of the total illicitly imported vehicles under this program, which was initially set up to aid long-serving civil servants in obtaining vehicles for personal use. However, widespread misuse of power and bribery has tarnished this ostensibly laudable initiative.
ZACC and ZIMRA collaborated to expose this major fraudulent scheme, uncovering the deep-seated corruption within the authority. Their joint inquiry disclosed that an astonishing 3,000 vehicles had been illegally brought into the country through the exploitation of tax rebates meant for civil servants since the program’s commencement in 2019.
Ex-ZIMRA Official in Vehicle Smuggling Scheme
The complex network of deception began to come apart when Mr. Philbert Muchechetere, Musoni’s superior, received an email from Beitbridge Border post shift supervisor, Ms. Winfred Chiyangwa, requesting verification of the validity of two civil servant rebate letters bearing his signature.
Concerned by these dubious letters, Muchechetere embarked on a thorough investigation into the clearance of public servants’ vehicles at Beitbridge Border Post.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Musoni had hacked into her supervisor’s computer and obtained his electronic signature, which she used to sign and stamp the fraudulent rebate letters.
Vehicles to Get Plates Before Leaving Ports of Entry
This elaborate scheme allowed her to assume the role of confirming the authenticity of public servants’ rebate letters, a responsibility that should have involved a team of officials to prevent corruption.
