Man gets 7 years direct imprisonment for defrauding Revenue Services
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The Johannesburg Special Crimes Court sitting in Palmridge has handed down a 7 years direct imprisonment to a 44 years old S’phamandla Mbekiseni Sibiya for defrauding the South African Revenue in Alberton.
Phindi Mjonondwana from the NPA said that the 44 years old was sentenced due to evidence found against him for fraudulent VAT refund claim he submitted to the Revenue Services before it was detected.
“The accused registered his company which he used to perpetrate the offences against the fiscus and claimed an amount of R3 million. The SARS auditors intervened and stopped the payment.”
“Sibiya initially pleaded guilty to the charges in 2023 and later changed his plea to one of not guilty. The state proceeded with the trial, calling two witnesses. The accused blamed someone else who as he alleged, got hold of his identity document and used it to commit the fraud. The accused was found guilty of all seven counts of fraud. The court alluded that the accused’s version was false beyond any reasonable doubt.”
Senior State Advocate, Busisiwe Mofokeng, when addressing the court in aggravation of sentence, argued the only appropriate form of sanction is direct imprisonment since the accused had submitted these fraudulent VAT returns over a period a fact which proved premeditation and careful onslaught against the fiscus.
Furthermore, the socio-economic impact caused by people of similar mentality such as the accused, not only affects SARS and the government but is an attack on the people of South Africa.
