A REGISTERED Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) clearing agent appeared at the Harare magistrates court charged with fraud after he converted to own use US$437 433 he had mistakenly received from the tax authority.
Tinashe Jongwe (31) who was charged alongside his company Tinapan Investments appeared before magistrate Taurai Manuwere charged with theft.
Jongwe was granted$300 000 bail.
The complainant is Zimra represented by Ngonidzashe Mutswiri, a compliance officer.
Tinapan holds a Prepayment account which is used for the purposes of clearing goods. The account is mainly used to make commercial entries like bills of entries.
It is the State’s case that on February 8 this year, Chotas investments deposited US$3 658,50 into Tinapan's Zimra Prepayment account through Agribank Wedza branch.
The money was supposed to be converted into RTGS using the interbank rate $119 5663, giving a total amount of $437 373.53
The transferred amount mistakenly appeared on the Zimra interface account as US$437433,35, and it was credited into Tinapan Investments’ Prepayment account.
Jongwe allegedly went on to use the money to pay duty for importation of motor vehicles and fuel on several entries.
It is further alleged that on September 16, the complainant discovered through a post clearance audit that a fraudulent deposit amounting to US$437 433,35 was processed online into Tinapan Investments’s account number.
As a result of the accused's action, the complainant suffered a prejudice of US$437 433,35 and nothing was recovered.