A Beitbridge customs clearing agent has appeared in court accused of defrauding a car rental company of ZiG1.5 million in a suspected customs duty scam involving a 54-seater luxury bus.
Farai Ndiripo, a director of Aspinwall Investments Private Limited, is facing allegations of defrauding Cowdom Investments Private Limited, trading as PMC Car Rental and Tours.
The court heard that PMC Car Rental and Tours engaged Ndiripo to facilitate the clearance of its 54-seater luxury bus at Beitbridge Border Post.
The company subsequently transferred ZiG1.5 million into Aspinwall Investments’ bank account for the payment of customs duty to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA).
However, the court was told that the customs duty was never paid to ZIMRA.
Ndiripo allegedly claimed that the duty had been paid and later handed over a release order to the company.
The release order resulted in the bus being released from Beitbridge Border Post, despite the alleged outstanding customs duty.
The company later discovered that the money transferred for customs duty had not been paid to ZIMRA, leading to the matter being reported to the authorities.
Ndiripo is now before the courts facing allegations of fraud.
The case highlights the risks faced by businesses when engaging third parties to handle customs clearance and payments at border posts.
