By Farayi Machamire
Fifteen customs officers deployed at Manica Transit Shed where vehicle imports into the country through Beitbridge border post are processed have been suspended over criminal misconduct Zim Morning Post can report.
The customs officers are also facing arrest for undervaluing vehicles and alteration of customs documents.
Impeccable sources told Zim Morning Post that the syndicate is alleged to have stolen Customs Clearance Certificates (CCC).
“They are accused of stealing CCCs so that they could issue them without the car paying any duty,” a source close to the development said.
Questions left for Zimra Commissioner-General Faith Mazani were unanswered at the time of publishing.
The number of vehicles involved is yet to be ascertained.
Excise duty for vehicles is determined by the year of manufacturing, primary fuel and transmission (either automatic or manual).
Sources within the organisation said yesterday that some of the officers were allegedly working with car dealers who import vehicles on a daily basis.
This also comes as reports of vehicles entering the country without paying the required duty with the involvement of Zimra officials have been rampant.
Recently a Zimra official stationed at Plumtree border post was arrested for forging customs documents to facilitate the smuggling of 50 cars into the country.
The authority lost potential revenue in the form of unpaid duty amounting to US$432 767,54 for 39 vehicles and $1 469 791,58 for 11 vehicles.
It is alleged that when the anomaly was discovered, Ushe was found in possession of fake customs clearance certificates and customs clearance certificate printouts on bond paper. Zim Morning Post
