MARTIN MAWAYA
GWERU–Former Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) liaison officer Mercy Dzvuke (48) has been convicted and sentenced to 315 hours of community service for criminal abuse of duty.
Dzvuke solicited for a US$500 bribe from Doctor Thomas Temba Ndebele for her to delete penalties in the ZIMRA system for the client.
Dzvuke was represented by Reginald Chidawanyika of Chitere and Chidawanyika Legal Practitioners.
Gweru Magistrate, Progress Murandu initially sentenced Dzvuke to 18 months in prison before conditionally setting aside nine months.
The remaining nine months were wholly suspended on condition that she performs 315 hours of community service at Ascot Secondary school.
In passing the sentence, Magistrate Murandu said he considered that Dzvuke is a “first offender, bread winner and has not benefited anything from the commission of the crime as she lost her job”.
Prosecutor Monica Mungweni told the court that on August 2, 2022 around 11am, Dzvuke in the company of Alfred Gwara were conducting compliance checks on Tax Returns when they visited Dr Ndebele surgery in Gweru to serve him with a final reminder of the outstanding Tax Returns.
She said the duo advised Ndebele that his failure to submit returns attracts a heavy penalty.
However, the complainant pleaded for a chance to compile and submit all the outstanding returns.
The court heard that the officers then recommended him to engage a tax consultant by the name Nyanhete.
In the process Dzvuke solicited for US$500 bribe from Dr Ndebele so that they can delete the penalties in the ZIMRA system.
It is alleged that the complainant indicated that he could not meet the demand since he was financially constrained.
Prosecutor Mungweni told the court that around mid-August, Dzvuke made a follow-up call to the surgery about the bribe but Ndebele could not meet the demand.
Ndebele, the court heard reported the matter to ZIMRA head office where Crispen Marengano and Sympathy Chipise were tasked to investigate.
Marengano and Chipise then engaged the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Gweru to set up a trap.
On September 1, 2022 Ndebele was tasked to contact the accused through a phone call and a trap money of US$250 of serialized US$50-00 denominations was supplied to him.
At around 4pm, Ndebele called Dzvuke to the surgery to collect US$250 that was readily available.
Upon receiving the call, the court heard that the accused went to the surgery and collected the money and detectives acting on the information that Dzvuke received the trap money, intercepted and arrested her outside the surgery. The trap money was recovered and used as exhibit in court.
