Fidelity falls victim to vehicle import scam
The country’s sole gold buyer and exporter Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR) fell victim to vehicle import scam took delivery of luxury vehicles supplied by a local car dealer, Solutions Motors which illicitly imported the vehicles without paying customs duty.
The matter came to light after ZIMRA published a list of companies who were supposed to bring the vehicles together with all customs clearance documents pertaining to their vehicles no later than 23 November 2019.
The ZIMRA statement released at the time read as follows, “The Commissioner-General of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority is hereby notifying the owners of vehicles listed below to visit ZIMRA Loss Control Offices at ZB Centre corner First Street and Kwame Nkrumah in Harare for vehicle registration verification. The vehicle owners are instructed to bring the vehicle together with all customs clearance documents pertaining to their vehicles no later than 23 November 2019”.
FPR and another government institution Zimseza were supplied with Toyota Hilux vehicles by the car dealer who contravened the Customs and Excise Act by not paying duty at the border post.
FPR chief executive Fredrick Kunaka told Newsday that “I will not be able to say you are correct because ordinarily if a vehicle is registered. I wouldn’t tell if duty was paid or not. That I wouldn’t be aware, I would not be able to say whether what you saying is correct,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) have impounded 102 vehicles this week believed to have been smuggled into the country by car dealers in and around the city.
This comes after the anti-graft body and the authority launched a crackdown targeting suspected smuggled vehicles which were mostly being sold at car sales. The 102 vehicles were impounded from car sales namely—Washnet, Emri, Prince Edward and one located at the intersection of Mazowe Street and Tongogara Avenue.
At Washnet, 14 cars were impounded, Emri (49), Prince Edward (19) while on the fourth one, 19 cars were impounded. In an interview, Zacc spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure confirmed the developments saying the crackdown is continuing and arrests will be made once investigations have been completed.