HARARE – Douglas Tapfuma, the principal director for policy implementation in the Office of the President and Cabinet was denied bail on Wednesday after he was charged with three counts of corruption involving customs duty avoidance on imported vehicles.
Th 53-year-old, a close associate of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, appeared before Harare regional magistrate, Hosea Mujaya, who remanded him in custody to August 15.
Prosecutors charged him with criminal abuse of office for allegedly importing seven personal vehicles under the false pretence that they were for the President’s Office.
Prosecutor Charles Muchemwa opposed bail saying Tapfuma is a flight risk.
“He acquired vehicles using state machinery. If convicted, he is likely to face a prison term. He is well connected to influential people who easily facilitate his escape,” Muchemwa said.
“The accused is also being investigated in another case in which he unlawfully imported 100 vehicles and only 15 have been recovered. If released, he may destroy evidence.”
The investigating officer Timothy Guta confirmed that Tapfuma, who was arrested on Tuesday by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), is under investigation in a case involving importation of 100 vehicles.
He also opposed bail saying Tapfuma has interfered with his juniors at work, frustrating investigations.
“Of the cars in question, we have only recovered 15. There has been a lot of interference. It has been difficult to interview witnesses who are junior to him. They were in fear,” he said.
But Tapfuma’s lawyer Esau Mandipa said it is not a crime for one to drive a car registered to the President Office.
“We want to know if it’s a crime to drive a vehicle registered under the President Office. Everything was done above board. It has not been said that he used state funds to import the vehicles. Maybe the remaining question is of evading duty, an offence he can pay a fine for,” said the lawyer.
The complainant is the state represented by Egepha Victoria Jokomo, the chief director of state residences.
On April 10, 2018, Tapfuma purchased two personal Toyota Hiace minibuses from South Africa. On April 17 the same year, Tapfuma assigned Bonani Ganyane an officer working in the transport section of the department of state residences to proceed to Beitbridge and facilitate clearance of the two vehicles on behalf of using report order forms as if they were government vehicles.
Clearance of goods by report order form is a procedure that is normally used by government departments to apply for deferred clearance of goods by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra).
Ganyane proceeded to Beitbridge and provisionally cleared the vehicles using the report order forms.
Tapfuma directed Ganyane to hand over the vehicles to Wongaishe Muperere, who at the time was the MP for Mbizo constituency.
On April 20, 2018, Tapfuma allegedly made an application to the chief secretary in the office of the President and Cabinet for duty free certificates in the name of President’s department and they were issued. He allegedly applied for duty exemption for the two vehicles at Zimra, which was granted. Prosecutors say he then registered the vehicles at Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) under the name of the President’s department and started using them for personal use. The vehicles were liable to US$3,180 duty.
On the second count, prosecutors allege that Tapfuma purchased three personal vehicles namely Toyota Altezza, Honda Accord and a Nissan Tiida from South Africa. Sometime in June 2018, he allegedly assigned Cousin Gwanyanya who was then acting transport manager in the department of state residences to clear the vehicles from Zimra.
He gave Gwanyanya a written request on official department of state residences letterhead addressed to Zimra regional manager authorising him to clear the vehicles. Gwanyanya provisionally cleared the vehicles and delivered them to Tapfuma at State House.
Using the same modus operandi, he requested duty free certificates purporting the vehicles belonged to government. He registered the vehicles at CVR but started using them for personal use.
He was supposed to pay US$4,340 for the vehicles.
On the third count, the state alleges that on August 1 last year, Tapfuma purchased two Honda Fit vehicles and a BMW 318i from South Africa. During the same month he assigned a junior to fraudulently process clearance of the vehicles at Beitbridge.
He was supposed to pay US$4,000 duty for the vehicles.
The seven vehicles are being held as exhibits.
Tapfuma is the second high-profile arrest by the reconstituted ZACC, which was sworn-in two weeks ago. Last week, ZACC arrested Tourism Minister Prisca Mupfumira in relation to transactions amounting to US$95 million by the state pensions body, NSSA.
