Li Song, a Chinese businesswoman, is embroiled in court procedures following allegations that she avoided paying US$40,000 in customs fees on a consignment of hydrated lime and sodium cyanide that she imported the previous year. Li, 52, appeared before Harare magistrate Mr. Dennis Mangosi last week to answer to fraud accusations.
Li was given a $300 bail amount and is expected back in court on June 27 while the investigation is ongoing. The accusations are the result of a complaint that DGL9 Investments (Pvt) Ltd. and DGL5 Investment’s former managing director, Mr. Francesco Marconati, filed. According to Marconati, Li allegedly used his company’s name between September 1 and March 3, 2022, to obtain a customs duty refund for importing the chemicals.
She avoided paying the required duty, nevertheless, by neglecting to deliver the product to the business.
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Prosecutor Mr. Thomas Chanakira claims that Li applied for a reimbursement of hydrated lime and sodium cyanide imports to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority in 2023. She asked former DGL5 Investment employee Bernadette Mukuku for assistance in communicating with Zimra on the application’s clearance.
The approval listed consignments of sodium cyanide to be imported by DGL9 Investments and was purportedly approved by the manager of the Zimra station at Bulawayo Port. Mukuku received copies of the approval. Then, with Mukuku’s help, the chemicals were brought into Zimbabwe from Mauritius using the DGL9 Investments alias, misleading Zimra in the process.
Due to Li’s cunning, the consignment’s duty payment was avoided, and the chemicals were never delivered to the business whose name was used for the importation. In addition to causing financial losses, this fraud damaged DGL9 Investments’ reputation.
