A former Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) employee allegedly masterminded a large-scale fraud involving fake vehicle import tax rebate letters, causing the government to lose over US$621,000 and ZWL$ 142 million in unpaid excise duties. Yvonne Tambudzai Musoni allegedly issued more than 400 fraudulent rebate letters between January 2022 and March 2023, allowing unqualified individuals to import vehicles duty-free, The Herald reports. ALSO READ: Government Relaxes Ban On The Importation Of Second-Hand Cars Older Than 10 Years: What You Need To Know How The Former ZIMRA Employee Duped Government Through The Civil Servants Vehicle Import Scheme Yvonne and her accomplices abused the scheme intended to benefit civil servants with over ten years of service.
According to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), 186 of the rebate letters were not in Zimra’s Harare office register, where they were purported to have originated. In a bid to recover lost revenue, Prosecutor-General Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo has approached the High Court to seize and forfeit the vehicles imported under the scheme. Thirty-six individuals who benefitted from the fake rebate letters are now under investigation, with law enforcement tracking the vehicles.
Yvonne, her husband, Melusi Paul Musoni, and their family trust are also facing legal action. Their assets, including luxury vehicles, property, and funds linked to private school fees, have been frozen. Yvonne allegedly forged her supervisor’s.