Pretoria – A former official of the SA Revenue Service (SARS), Khutso Meloreng Hlongwane, 44, will appear on Friday before the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court facing charges of fraud amounting to R5m.
National Prosecution Authority (NPA) Gauteng regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said Hlongwane made representations to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) to have the charges against her withdrawn, and she failed.
“Hlongwane faces 52 counts of fraud, worth over R5m for defrauding SARS from July 2007 until September 2015,” Mahanjana said.
“The State is ready to set the matter down for plea and trial.”
Last month, a former SARS employee from Table View appeared in the Cape Town Regional Court for tax fraud.
Maureen Killian, 65, has been charged with 25 counts of fraud and tax evasion for providing false information to Sars in order to claim tax rebates.
It is alleged that from 2014 to 2018, Killian defrauded SARS by providing false information on her income tax, effectively committing tax evasion. As a result, Killian allegedly managed to swindle SARS of over R330 000 for the 5-year period.
It is alleged that for the years 2016 to 2018, while working as a tax consultant for a security company, she requested tax refunds based on false information.
She had allegedly requested money to be paid back to the security company, claiming the money was incorrectly declared and used as incentives, when in reality the money was tax deductible income which she received.
Killian has also been charged with an alternative count of theft for allegedly stealing more than R700 000 from the security company.
The matter was postponed to July 14 for the outcome of a means test following her request for Legal Aid representation. Killian is apparently able to afford a private attorney and may not qualify for Legal Aid.
IOL