An engineering company, Hilmax Engineering (Pvt) Ltd, and its management have been taken to court on charges of fraud linked to tax evasion amounting to over 10 million.
The firm’s finance director, Patrick Musavaya, appeared in court to represent himself and the company, alongside the operations director, Rugare Murwira. The two were granted bail of US$500 each by regional magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa.
According to the charges, on January 13, 2021, Musavaya and Murwira allegedly worked together to apply for R2,781,750 through Stanbic Bank, claiming they needed the funds to purchase stock from Interflex Holdings in South Africa. However, investigations revealed that the funds were not used to import any goods as claimed. The duo is accused of misrepresenting their transactions and forging documents like a Bill of Entry and release order to cover up the fraudulent payment.
The Bill of Entry used by the accused had originally been assigned to Leisure Life Styles (Pvt) Ltd for their import of screws, bolts, and nuts through the Beitbridge Border Post.
The pair is also facing charges for another similar fraudulent application, made between January and April 2021, for a payment of R1,870,073.35 to The Hydraulic Centre in South Africa. Like the first transaction, they allegedly forged documents to justify the payment, using a Bill of Entry that had previously been used by Breastplate Services for importing tyre polish sheen.
In total, Musavaya and Murwira are accused of failing to justify payments amounting to R10,755,880.01 through similar fraudulent methods on seven occasions.
Anesu Chirenje is handling the prosecution of the case.
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