Kebab Restaurant owner in court over car smuggling
The director of Legends of Kebab Restaurant in Harare, Edmore Zviitwah has appeared in court on allegations of smuggling vehicles and concealing the illicit deals by affixing them with a set of registration numbers which belong to the Counter Intelligence in the Office of the President and Cabinet of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Zviitwah (52) was facing fraud charges when he appeared before Harare Magistrate Mr Donald Ndirowei.
The State opposed bail.
It is the State’s case that sometime between 2019 and 2020, Zviitwah, acting in common purpose with Philimon Zviitwah who is already on remand, hatched a plan to smuggle a Toyota Quantum motor vehicle into the country.
On a date unknown to the prosecutor but during the above mentioned period, the pair smuggled a Toyota Quantum motor vehicle into Zimbabwe and tempered with the motor vehicle chassis and engine numbers.
On January 11, 2020, Zviitwah, in a bid to blur the trace, proceeded to Joseph Tendai Musakwa who is a car breaker at Gazaland Shopping Centre in Highfield and bought a body shell of a Toyota Hiace silver in colour with registration number ADC 9451, chassis number KDH200-0043491 which had no engine and registered in the name of Benedictor Kanosvamhira.
Philimon signed the agreement of sale and acquired the vehicle body shell and its registration book. Equipped with the acquired registration book, Zviitwah proceeded to the Central Vehicle Registry where he misrepresented the actual facts and applied for change of vehicle number plates in respect of ADC 9451.
As a result of the misrepresentation, Zviitwah was issued with a new vehicle registration book under certificate number C0001072483, registration number plates AFG 0224.
The court heard that Zviitwah later on affixed the number plates AFG 0224 on the smuggled white Toyota Quantum with the obliterated chassis and engine number.
The smuggled motor vehicle, affixed with the fraudulently acquired registration number plates, is currently being held as an exhibit.
It is the State’s contention that the accused smuggled the vehicle and did the fraudulent activities in order to evade paying duty.
On count two, the court heard that sometime between 2017 and 2018, Zviitwah hatched a plan to smuggle a HI Hyundai van motor vehicle into the country.
On a date unknown to the prosecutor but in 2018, Zviitwah smuggled a HI Hyundai with obliterated chassis number into Zimbabwe. In an effort to conceal the illicit deal he affixed the vehicle with a set of registration number plates AFE 6334 which belongs to the Counter Intelligence in the Office of the
President and Cabinet of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
When Zviitwah affixed the said registration plates on the vehicle, he intended to rob the Government in taxes negatively affected the good standing and administration of the Central Vehicle Registration system.
The HI Hyundal was recovered from Zviitwah and can be produced as am exhibit.
_Herald
