A group of eight people were jailed by the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Monday after they defrauded the South African Revenue Service a staggering R100 million.
The NPA said the syndicate has four leaders consisting of Zimbabwean nationals Jeremiah Mosiwacho Dube and Maxwell Ndlovu Mafudzi, who obtained South African citizenship fraudulently, Zambian national Boaz Chilala, who evaded arrest, and Sello Rathete.
During investigations, Mafodi and Dube attempted to bribe a senior SARS official by offering him R150,000 to ensure payment of their false claim.
Dube was sentenced to 65 years in prison and his wife to 25 years.
Another gang leader, Mafudzi, also received a 65-year prison sentence. Meanwhile, Dube’s girlfriend, Ramon, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The other defendants, Rathete and Edward Shoniwa, were sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Audrey Radebe and Bongani Mbonane were each sentenced to five years in prison.
The National Prosecuting Authority said that between 2009 and 2015, the group ran a VAT collection that involved fraudulently claiming a VAT refund from SARS.
“The union leaders defrauded SARS by submitting VAT returns to SARS claiming that the entities registered in their names and the names of the other defendants, incurred VAT expenses by importing into the country and purchasing from local suppliers,” Gauting said. NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane.
Mjonondwane said the group claimed to have imported diesel, stored it with Vopak Limited and Sasol Oil and later sold the oil to Engen, Imperial Bulk Services, FPS and Unitrans.
She said that at the time of their arrest in 2015, they demanded R200 million, and SARS only paid R100 million.
According to News24, the syndicate was exposed after Dube’s wife, Rebecca, anonymously contacted SARS and reported the illegal activities to the Revenue Authority.
It is believed that Rebecca lifted the lid after learning that her husband was having an affair with Molihi Constance Ramon.
It was reported that Dube gave Ramon a monthly allowance sometimes amounting to R90,000, and they also went on international trips.
Ramon’s lifestyle raised suspicions because he exceeded her salary from Hollard Insurance.
Mjonondwin said the anonymous tip helped the SARS investigation team track down everyone involved and trace the money into various bank accounts. – Islam Online.
