PHD Ministries' Tax Evasion Trial Begins

Walter Magaya’s Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries tax evasion kicked off on Tuesday, with its board member finance Nelson Marimo pleading not guilty.

Magaya’s church is facing charges of failing to declare tax of more than $28 million revenue accrued from 2013 to 2018  Marimo’s lawyer Admire Rubaya told the court that PHD Ministries denies generating taxable income through selling church regalia, anointing oil and holy water or from conducting any trade. He PHD did not declare tax for Tendayi Magaya and Walter Magaya’s salaries because it forms part of donations, offerings, and tithes which cannot be taxed.

The first witness Tinashe Madakadze, who is the chief investigating officer at Zimra said PHD Ministries declined to give him information on their sales and purchase transactions and the remunerations of its employees. He told the court that during his investigations, he found out that PHD Ministries were making sales, but did not have financial statements. This prompted him and his fellow workmates to take PHD’s computers and requested that they sent officers to their offices to provide passwords.