Zain-Malawi in MK4.7 million tax evasion scam as MRA recovers lost revenue
Malawi leading mobile service provider Zain’s wonderful world came crumbling recently when the mobile company duped the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and sought official clearance to import goods that did not qualify for a duty free status, only Nyasa Times has established.
Nyasa Times investigations reveal that Zain obtain official clearance from the revenue collector to import a consignment of switching equipment and tower accessories valued at MK6.2 million.
However, an audit by MRA’s Internal Clearance Branch (ICB) in the department of Inspectorate and Excise division detected anomalies after it was established that the mobile company lied on the goods it was importing.
The audit information sourced at the MRA headquarters in Blantyre further revealed that instead of importing the approved consignment, Zain made a change of heart and knowingly imported goods duty free that were not cleared by the revenue collector.
“Instead the mobile company imported 24 sets of air conditioners with accessories that did not enjoy duty free status….after the matter was raised with Zain officials they agreed that there was breach of taxation procedures and the company agreed to pay MRA MK4.7 million for the goods,” said an inside source at MRA’s Keza office who spoke on condition of strict anonymity.
The source said the anomaly was traced quickly because Zain’s importations are noticed through what he called the blue lane, a high tech selectivity module in MRA’s clearance system and is only applied to importers that have demonstrated certain levels of compliance over a period of time and are exempted from the normal physical examination.
Efforts to talk to publicists of both MRA and Zain were unsuccessful. Zain’s publicist Edith Tsilizani could not pick up her phone and after several attempts it was out of reach while her MRA’s Steve Kapoloma was reported to be in meeting according to a female assistant who answered the phone.
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