Car dealers steal CIOs’ vehicles number plates

Three daring Harare car dealers, who allegedly smuggled posh vehicles and fixed them with stolen registration plates from the Office of the President and Cabinet’s (OPC) counter intelligence unit before selling them to unsuspecting clients, yesterday appeared before magistrate Donald Ndirowei facing fraud charges.

Edmore Manyonda, a director at Geoscape Properties, Shepherd Hove and Simbarashe Blessing Matinyarare were remanded in custody to today for bail hearing.

According to court papers, sometime in May, Manyonda smuggled three motor vehicles, a Ford Ranger Supertrak, Ford Ranger Stormtrek and KIA truck.

It is said in an effort to conceal the illicit deal, Hove and Matinyarare supplied Manyonda with four vehicle registration number plates belonging to the OPC’s counter intelligence unit.

It is alleged that when Hove and Matinyarare supplied the registration plates, they knew that the vehicles were not entitled to such registration plates.

Manyonda then fixed the stolen registration number plates on the smuggled vehicles.

The three vehicles were recovered together with the said registration plates.

The State alleges that as a result of the fraud, the government was prejudiced of approximately US$133 500 in potential revenue from import duty. -Newsday