Blow For Magaya As Court Dismisses PHD Ministries' Bid To Defend Tax Evasion
Harare senior Regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya has dismissed the defense presented by the Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries (PHD) led by Walter Magaya in its bid to disown financial statements on Tuesday.
The state alleges that the church failed to declare tax for more than $28 million in revenue accumulated from 2013 to 2018. The church has been denying above allegations saying the money alluded to was not raised from running a business but was congregants’ offering and tithes.
The church later disowned the financial statements and accused Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officials of crafting the documents. Resultantly, the court had to put the main trial on hold as it wanted to establish the authenticity of the claims by the church.
However, the magistrate ruling said:
The submissions by the defence lacks merit.
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Mujaya said Mujaya that reasons which led to that conclusion will be made available. The statements in question are reported to have been retrieved from the church’s computers following a raid into the church premises by ZIMRA and the ZRP. Zimra official, Tinashe Madakadze claimed that he printed the financial statements from the seized computers and in the presence of the church’s accounting officials Winnie Matimati and Chinguwo.
However, Matimati is reported to have refused to stamp the documents arguing that the church’s financial director, Nelson Marimo had authority to do so.
More: NewZimbabwe
