PRETORIA – The Johannesburg Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team arrested two former South African Revenue Service (SARS) Auditors, Corah Madlepollo Kooko (39 ) and Noluthando Sipokazi Mbanga (45 ), and a runner, Mndolozi Mncube (44) today for alleged tax evasion worth approximately R321 million.
The trio have been charged for tax fraud in contravention of the Value Added Tax Act, as well as Customs and Excise Act with an actual loss of over R277 million, R44 millions of which has already been recovered through investigation in conjunction with SARS.
During the period between 2013 and 2016, SARS investigators identified extensive VAT fraud with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES) sectors registered as VAT merchants.
The fraud related to the claiming of undue VAT refunds from SARS and money laundering pertaining to these companies and their directors working in cahoots.
The Hawks investigation uncovered that the syndicate involves more than twenty individuals and various companies. Taxpayers, runners, SARS current and former employees, as well as bank employees were also caught up in the web of deceit. Most of the fraudulent invoices were uploaded from the SARS branch in Randfontein where some of the implicated suspects were based.
The trio was granted R10 000 bail each and the case is postponed to 13 July 2021 pending further investigation whilst the Hawks circle for the rest of the suspects.