Gauteng man sentenced to seven years in jail for defrauding SARS

A man found guilty of defrauding the South African Revenue Services (SARS) has been sentenced to an effective seven years behind bars.

The accused, Sphamandla Mbhekiseni Sibiya, was found guilty of seven counts of fraud by the Johannesburg specialized commercial crimes court.

Senior advocate at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Busisiwe Mofokeng says Sibiya was nabbed when SARS auditors picked up anomalies when he attempted to claim R3 million for a company currently not trading.

“Sibiya had submitted fictitious claims, claiming for R3 million in VAT refunds. He had registered a company that was not trading when he submitted the VAT returns involving companies that we’re not aware (of). So, the auditors picked up that the company was not trading and he did not have a legal claim at SARS. He was not paid the R3 million he was claiming at SARS,” he said.

South African Revenue Service | Gauteng man jailed for defrauding SARS