A Former SARS Official was Today Arrested for Fraud
A chartered accountant and former SARS employee was arrested for alleged VAT fraud of more than R5-million at her place of work in Centurion earlier today.
The fraud happened over a nine year period.
The female suspect is a director of a closed corporation (cc) that provides consultancy and bookkeeping services. She is alleged to have submitted false VAT invoices and bank statements to SARS between 2007 and 2015 to substantiate VAT refund claims amounting to R5, 1 million.
The investigation commenced after SARS’ risk engines identified the taxpayer for an audit due to the unusual refund trend that emerged over the years. Upon requesting supporting documentation, SARS’s investigators established through third party verification that fictional invoices had been submitted to SARS. They also found that bank statements that were submitted to substantiate refund claims were not authentic.
The suspect is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and the South African Institute of Certified Bookkeepers.
The case was handed over to the National Prosecuting Authority and the Police who issued the warrant of arrest. She is expected to appear in court on Monday.
The case was registered under CAS No. 389/11/2015 Pretoria Central.
0 comments