A 41-year-old Avondale man, Farai Makombe, appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court facing charges of fraud and money laundering linked to an alleged diesel import scam.
The State, represented by Detective Constable Milton Mabari of the CID Asset Forfeiture Unit, alleges that Makombe, an unemployed resident of Medarc Place, Avondale, Harare, conspired with accomplices Carlton, a clearing agent based in Beitbridge, and Brian Mutimbanyoka, who are both still at large, to defraud the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
According to the State, the accused and his accomplices falsely declared imported diesel as Naphthalene, a duty-exempt product, in order to evade customs duty.
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The court heard that between January and May 2025, Makombe and his accomplices used company documents on 11 separate occasions to misrepresent to ZIMRA that they had imported Naphthalene valued at R3,071,757.65, when in fact they had imported diesel, which attracts duty upon import.
Investigations were initiated following information received by authorities, leading to Makombe’s arrest on January 30, 2026, by detectives from the CID Asset Forfeiture Unit.
Upon arrest, Makombe allegedly implicated his two accomplices, who remain at large.
The total value involved in the alleged scam is US$495,000, and no recoveries have been made.
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