Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, son of the late former President Robert Mugabe, and four other suspects have been arrested following the alleged assault of a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) official during the seizure of two luxury vehicles in Harare.
The vehicles, a Lamborghini Urus and a Mercedes-Benz, were impounded at a lodge in Newlands after being flagged over suspected irregularities in their importation.
The operation was conducted jointly by ZACC and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) as part of investigations into vehicles allegedly brought into the country through fraudulent declarations, undervaluation or without the necessary import permits.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirmed the arrests, identifying the other suspects as Munashe Mubawu (43), Terrence Johannes Chinyemba (42), Fredson Peter (33) and Solomon Pamire (34).
ZACC spokesperson, Similiso Mlevu, said the vehicles had been identified through discrepancies in their importation and exit records.
“The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission today seized two high-end vehicles, that is, the Lamborghini Urus and the Mercedes-Benz, on suspicion that these vehicles are in the country illegally. So, indications are that the vehicles got into the country through a temporary import permit and then they exited the country.
“They got into the country on different dates. The Lamborghini got into the country in June and exited on July 12 and on the same date the Mercedes-Benz got into the country, and according to the official records, it exited for South Africa on October 10. But they were seized at a lodge in Newlands, Harare, today. In the process of seizing these vehicles, one of our officials was assaulted by the suspected individuals who were suspected to be involved in the smuggling of these vehicles and we reported the matter to the police,” she said.
Mlevu said the joint operation was part of wider efforts by the two institutions to clamp down on vehicle importation fraud, particularly cases involving undervaluation and failure to comply with customs requirements.
ZACC has so far seized 42 commuter omnibuses suspected to have been undervalued or imported in violation of regulations, including the 10-year vehicle age restriction.
Chatunga Mugabe and his four co-accused are expected to appear in court on Thursday.
