A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) officer Kespa Chabata has been brought before the courts on allegations of soliciting and accepting a bribe amounting to US$1,900 from a truck driver whom he apprehended for smuggling fuel.
Kespa Chabata, aged 57, appeared before Harare magistrate Stanford Mambanje facing charges of criminal abuse of office. He was granted bail set at US$200.
The accusations against Chabata stem from an incident on March 9, during which he purportedly demanded a bribe of US$3,000 to refrain from seizing a truck found transporting incorrect cargo.
According to prosecutors, Chabata allegedly extorted the money from Given Alcapony Nhamo, the driver of a fuel tanker parked at Zindoga truck stop in Waterfalls, Harare.
Reportedly, Chabata, who was on night duty, noticed the truck during his commute home. Upon inspecting the truck’s importation documents, he discovered a discrepancy between the declared cargo (Butanone) and the actual cargo (diesel).
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Instead of following proper procedure by informing ZIMRA authorities or his supervisors, Chabata purportedly demanded US$3,000 from the driver to overlook the irregularity and avoid confiscating the truck.
The driver, in turn, contacted Lennon Chenga, who was identified as the person in charge. Chabata instructed the driver to have Chenga bring the money to the scene.
Subsequently, Kessie, a supervisor at Dinotic Energy in Sandton, South Africa, who had authorized the diesel transport, managed to gather US$1,900, which was delivered to Chabata.
After receiving the bribe, Chabata returned the truck’s documents, alleging that the importation documents were fraudulent. However, he refrained from seizing the truck, allowing Nhamo to depart despite being aware of the offense.
The prosecution contends that Chabata’s actions demonstrated undue favoritism towards the trucker, as he neglected to take the appropriate step of seizing the truck.