Alleged Eastern Cape tax fraudster released on R20k bail

An alleged tax fraudster from the Eastern Cape on Thursday was released on bail by the East London Magistrate’s Court.

Aphiwe Lihle Gulwa,33, was released on R20,000 bail after being charged with tax fraud.

It is alleged that Gulwa was a sole director of Lihle Izizi PTY Ltd, a company registered for Value Added Tax (VAT) with the South African Revenue Services (Sars).

Police spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela, said Gulwa was also a registered Tax Practitioner responsible for all the Tax Affairs of his company .

“It is alleged that Gulwa submitted to Sars through E-filling VAT 201 returns for 2019 and 2020 claiming an input tax refund amounting to the value of more than R14 million which is alleged not to have been due to his company.

“As an outcome of the probing by East London Based Serious commercial Crime Investigation team of the Hawks mandated by SARS, Gulwa was arrested on 17 February 2022 and released on R20,000 bail the same day,” Mgolodela said in a statement.

The matter is remanded for 11 March 2022 for legal representation.

Compiled by Kgomotso Phooko