THE trial of Harare car dealer Upenyu Mashangwa and his four colleagues, on charges of defrauding Walter Magaya’s Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries in a botched car import deal continued yesterday.
BY PAIDAmoyo MUZULU
An official from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) said the PHD leader bought the vehicle in question from South Africa.
The Zimra official, Simbarashe Chinyongo said Magaya discussed the payment of duty when he visited their offices.
Mashangwa is jointly charged with Cosmas Mushininga, Kudakwashe Larry Mapfumo and Clifford Tinashe Gonde in a case where they are alleged to have duped Magaya or alternatively smuggling and failing to pay duty for the vehicle, a Landrover Discovery 4.
The fraud involves $116 000.
In his testimony, Chinyongo said Magaya and his team visited Zimra offices to make representations after the car was seized for failing to pay requisite duty.
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“We did not investigate the smuggling of the car, but it was about revenue and controls. For instance we do the same when illegal medicines are imported it’s not about them paying revenue, but also to control imports,” he said.
Chinyongo told regional magistrate, Noel Mupeiwa that the clearance certificate for the vehicle imported from South Africa, was purportedly not genuine.
“Magaya said he was the one who was involved in the paying and purchasing of the car through his office,” Chinyongo said.
The official further told the court that it was not clear who was the principal in the importation of the vehicle, as he was not privy to the deals that took place between the parties.
Before the proceedings commenced yesterday, prosecutor Liberty Gono refused to be stampeded by the defence counsel to bring Tendayi Magaya to the witness stand.
Gono told the court that the State had the prerogative to call a witness when it wanted.
“The State will call its witnesses in any order it wants and feels in presenting its case,” he said.
Gono made the remarks when defence counsel Dumisani Mthombeni enquired when he was going to call Tendai to the witness stand.
The trial continues tomorrow.
