A HARARE Magistrate has further remanded out of custody three man who were suspected of being part of a vehicle smuggling ring.
Brian Matongo (41), Tinashe Kanda (41) and Elvis Jieman 28 were remanded to March 10 when they appeared before Magistrarte Donald Ndirowei.
The suspects were arrested last year and granted bail.
They are challenging further placement on remand saying they were wrongly implicated and arrested.
Ndirowei postponed the matter to March 10.
State prosecutor Anesu Chirenje alleged that sometime in 2018, the accused persons were suspected to be part of a ring involved in the smuggling of all-terrain vehicles from South Africa into Zimbabwe.
The State claimed connived with other responsible authorities from Zimra, Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara), Central Vehicle Registration (CVR) as well as the Central Intelligence Organisation to fraudulently register different vehicles into the system of the aforementioned institutions.
In a bid to benefit from Zimra, Zinara and CVR exemptions of tax, licences and toll fees, Kanda used his connections to obtain a vehicle registration book and a number plate which belongs to The Office of the President and Cabinet.
- ZRP can benefit from smart video cameras
- ZRP can benefit from smart video cameras.
- News In Depth: Bigwigs entangled in widening CIO number plates, smuggled cars scandal
- Suspects challenge placement on remand
Keep Reading
The scam came to light when the office of the President and Cabinet discovered an upsurge in missing of their exempted registration plates circulating on the market.
The matter was reported to police for further investigations which led to the recovery of the vehicle and the registration plates.
