Pinetown magistrate hands down jail term to tax fraudster
People from around the country provided evidence in the tax fraud case against Sheritha Hariram.
AFTER creating fictitious clients and claiming VAT refunds of more than R2 million, Sheritha Hariram (55) was sentenced at the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court to an effective 10 years imprisonment for theft and defrauding the South African Revenue Services (SARS).
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) spokesperson, Natasha Kara, Hariram was authorised by SARS to act as the Value Added Tax (VAT) administrator on behalf of race horse owners and was allowed to submit VAT returns on their behalf.
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“Once the VAT refund was paid out by SARS, she was required to distribute the refund to her clients,” said Kara on Friday.
“In certain instances, she did not pay her clients the VAT refund she received, amounting to R761 784. She also created fictitious clients and claimed VAT refunds of more than R 2million. The money was used for her personal benefit,” said Kara.
Investigation
Kara explained that Senior State Advocate Selvan Govender guided an investigation by SARS which uncovered her activities. “In court, Advocate Govender led the evidence of an investigator and auditors from SARS,” she said. In addition, race horse owners, trainers and administrators from various parts of the country travelled to KZN to testify in the trial.
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Tax
“Tax fraud and tax evasion need to be dealt with by the courts. Stakeholder collaboration in dealing with such cases has produced a successful outcome which is welcomed,” said the Director of Public Prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal, Advocate Elaine Zungu.
“It is also a sentence sending out a clear message that law enforcement will deal with all those who involve themselves with such conduct.”
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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
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