Harare | Former deputy minister Terrence Mukupe was sentenced to an effective 3 years in prison coupled with a US$12,780 fine on Thursday, ZiMetro News has learned.
Mukupe was convicted of smuggling diesel in 2017.
Prosecutors proved that Mukupe and his accomplices conspired to import 138,919 litres of diesel into the country without paying duty at the border.
When the tanker reached Forbes Border Post in Mutare, the four lied that the diesel was en route to the Democratic Republic of Congo, thereby bypassing the need to pay duty.
While the tanker was in Zimbabwe, the four then replaced the diesel with water before driving the tanker to Chirundu, where they were stopped by ZIMRA officials who wanted to check the contents of the tanker, and the crime was revealed.
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