Police arrest MRA officer over K12m

Police in Dedza have arrested a Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) officer based at Domestic Taxes Station in the district for allegedly embezzling about K12 million.

In an interview on Sunday, Dedza Police Station deputy public relations officer Cassim Manda said the suspect, identified as Charles Chimwendo, 32, is alleged to have had unauthorised custody of various revenue receipt books which he had been fraudulently issuing upon collection of revenue from unsuspecting taxpayers.

Said Manda: “The alleged scam came to light when the suspects superiors’ through Msonkho Online platform noticed that a certain filling service station [name withheld] had not remitted provisional tax.

“MRA officials confronted the fuel service station management who alleged that Chimwendo had already collected the money.”

Manda further explained that after inspection, of the MRA receipts that the suspect had issued, it was discovered that the receipts were fake.

“This eye-opening incident prompted Chimwendo’s workmates to revisit the data of the previous year, 2021. Later, it was discovered that another trader [name withheld] had also not remitted payment towards the submitted value added tax [VAT] return for the month of June 2021.

The trader also produced a receipt allegedly issued by the suspect at Dedza Domestic Taxes Station,” explained Manda.

Chimwendo is expected to answer the charges of forgery, and theft by servant.

MRA marketing communications manager Wilma Chalulu on Sunday said the authority has a zero-tolerance to fraud and corruption.

“The matter is now in the hands of the police for further investigations and action,” she said.