By A Correspondent

A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) officer stationed at the Victoria Falls border post, Jean Felix Kudaro, has appeared in court on charges of criminal abuse of office. This follows the arrest of two other ZIMRA officers over the weekend, also facing similar allegations.

Kudaro, a customs officer at the border post, is accused of unlawfully facilitating the importation of 10 motor vehicles older than 10 years, in contravention of Statutory Instrument 54 of 2024. The alleged offenses took place between January and December 2024.

According to the prosecution, Kudaro received both electronic and manual documents from clients and is said to have completed the vehicle valuation process, altering the chassis numbers to deceive his supervisor during the vehicle age verification process. The falsified documents were reportedly submitted for approval, and once approved, Kudaro entered the correct chassis numbers into the ASYCUDA World System.

It is further alleged that Kudaro manipulated physical valuation sheets and replaced the original documents with accurate details before final processing. Additionally, he allegedly released the vehicles without properly recording them in the release register or ensuring their registration, as required by station standing instructions.

The scheme was exposed when a vehicle that had not yet physically arrived in Zimbabwe was discovered to have already been registered.

Kudaro has been denied bail and is set to return to court on February 17th for the continuation of his trial.

In related developments, two other ZIMRA officers, Philip Kuvenga and Rangariraishe Zingwe, also facing similar charges, have been denied bail.