HARARE – Customs officials seized US$80,000 in cash from a businessman at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport moments before he boarded a flight to Tanzania.
Victor Magigwana, 32, was released on US$300 bail by Harare regional magistrate Jesse Kufa on Monday after being charged under the Exchange Control Act for failing to declare the money.
Travellers leaving Zimbabwe with more than US$2,000 are required to obtain approval from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), which Magigwana did not have, the National Prosecuting Authority said.
Prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi told the court that on March 14, detectives from the CID Commercial Crime Division in Harare received a tip-off that Magigwana was planning to smuggle cash out of the country through the airport.
Airport security was alerted, and Magigwana was placed under surveillance from the moment he arrived.
After clearing security without declaring the cash, he was intercepted just before boarding a Tanzania Airlines flight.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority seized the US$80,000 and returned US$2,000, the maximum amount permitted for export without prior approval.
Source: ZimLive
