A company director and a clearing agent have appeared in court accused of using falsified documents to declare a consignment of goods as agricultural equipment and allegedly avoid paying more than ZiG372 000 in import duty and VAT.
Gemoian Enterprises T/A G&M Group (Pvt) Ltd director Ian Genesesi, 31, and With You Customs director Michael Makonye, 36, appeared before Harare regional magistrate Fadzai Mthombeni facing charges of fraud, forgery, false representation and smuggling.
The two were remanded to next month for trial.
The State, represented by ZIMRA revenue supervisor Edward Shana, alleges that Genesesi bought 698 cartons of assorted goods weighing about 25 080kg from Shenzhen Hengmansheng Trading Co Ltd in China in November 2024.
The consignment reportedly included artificial flowers, decorative balls, vegetable racks, lights, rice containers, vehicle spares and machinery, among other items.
According to the prosecution, the goods were packed into a CMA CGM container at Nansha Port, China, on December 10, 2024, before being shipped to Beira, Mozambique, and later transported to Zimbabwe.
Genesesi was allegedly listed as both the consignee and notify party on the original shipping documents.
The State alleges that after the consignment reached Beira in February 2025, Genesesi and Makonye worked together to avoid customs charges.
They allegedly produced a fake bill of lading and invoice describing the goods as agricultural equipment, including shellers, weeders, a cultipacker and harvesters.
The prosecution claims the accused knew that the declared agricultural equipment qualified for exemption from import duty and VAT.
On February 28, 2025, With You Customs allegedly processed the ZIMRA clearance using bill of entry number C6935, declaring the shipment as agricultural implements.
As a result, ZIMRA allegedly granted an exemption on duties and VAT amounting to ZiG372,625.82 and US$1,478.78.
The goods were subsequently transported from Beira through Forbes Border Post in Mutare without a physical inspection before being released to Gemoian Enterprises in Harare. The State alleges that the goods were later distributed to the company’s customers.
The alleged fraud was uncovered during a post-clearance audit by ZIMRA’s Loss Control Department, which reportedly found that the contents of the shipment did not match the agricultural equipment declared in the customs documents.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) for investigation.
On August 26, 2025, ZACC investigators, accompanied by ZIMRA officials, conducted inspections at the accused persons’ business premises at 48 Kenneth Kaunda Avenue, Harare.
The State alleges that investigators found no agricultural implements or records relating to agricultural equipment at the premises.
Prosecutors further allege that had the goods been properly declared, Genesesi and Makonye would have been required to pay ZiG372,625.82 and US$1,478.78 in import duty and VAT.
ZIMRA is therefore said to have suffered financial prejudice equivalent to those amounts as a result of the alleged false declaration.