HARARE – A Harare car dealer suspected to be the kingpin of a syndicate which stole number plates from vehicles belonging to the president’s office before fitting them on smuggled vehicles, has appeared in court charged with fraud.

Persuade Kaseke, 36, of Mainway Meadows, Harare, who is the director of Sean Motors and Electricals, appeared before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa who granted him US$800 bail.

Court heard the dealer would smuggle vehicles and fit them with number plates stolen from the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).

Allegations are that sometime in 2022, Kaseke smuggled into Zimbabwe, a white Toyota Fortuner, chassis number AHTKA3FS100625476 and took it to Sean Motors car sale at Corner Robert Mugabe and Chiremba Road, Harare.

“The Toyota Fortuner motor vehicle was then affixed with registration plates number AFC0441 that had been stolen from the President’s Office and a fake registration book was forged to purport that the motor vehicle was registered as that of the President’s Department,” said the State.

It is further alleged that on January 19, 2023, a Thomas Tatenda Marongwe, already on remand, connived with Kaseke to defraud one Elton Zikatih who was looking for an automatic Toyota Fortuner.

“The accused and Marongwe connived and misrepresented to Zikatih that the smuggled white automatic Toyota Fortuner affixed with stolen Security Service registration numbers AFC0441 from the office of the President’s Department and being offered for sale was ex-government motor vehicle,” prosecutors said.

The accused and Marongwe further misrepresented to Zikatih that the motor vehicle was bought from a senior government official.

The pair further said the vehicle was meant to be used as it was until November 2023 when it would be de-registered from the government fleet.

They said all documentation regarding change of ownership was going to be done after November.

Acting on the accused and Marongwe’s misrepresentation, court heard, Zikatih bought the motor vehicle by swapping it with his Toyota Hilux GD6 registration number AFW2782 plus a top-up of US$10,000.

Kaseke then issued Zikatih with an exemption letter and assured him he would be able to drive the motor vehicle freely up to November 2023 when change of ownership was going to be effected.

Zikatih later discovered that Kaseke had misrepresented facts about the vehicle.

Court also heard that Kaseke defrauded another victim, a Terrence Tagwireyi using the same modus operandi.

Tagwireyi bought a smuggled Toyota Prado from the suspect.

The offence came to light after Tagwireyi went to Kaseke’s car sale and demanded the car registration book.

He was instead given an exemption certificate.

Suspicious of the arrangement, Tagwireyi carried out some investigations which led him to discover that the vehicle had stolen plates.

Another victim was identified as Charles Dengura, who also bought a top of the range vehicle from Kaseke unaware that it had been smuggled and fitted with stolen plates.

Kaseke’s alleged accomplices are Edmore Manyonda, Shepherd Hove, and Simbarashe Blessing Matinyarare.

All are on remand facing charges of evading vehicle duty totalling US$133,000.