Seven-year jail term for R11m tax fraudster
A Durban man who committed tax fraud amounting to R11.7m has been sentenced to seven years' direct imprisonment, the NPA said on Friday.
News24 reports that Rabin Balmint (62) was sentenced in the Durban Magistrate's Court after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud and one count of VAT fraud against SARS.
For the tax year 2013, Balmint submitted fictitious tax returns via e-filing for his company Kiddo Trans CC. These were done by creating fictitious supplier invoices, and he received a tax rebate of R9.7m.
He also failed to pay VAT of R2m that the company owed to SARS.
He was found out after a SARS audit revealed that the invoices were fake.
NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara said that in aggravation of sentence, prosecutor Advocate Nirvana Rambali told the court that tax revenue was used to develop infrastructure and provide services to the poorest and most vulnerable.
‘Balmint's dishonesty was fuelled by greed and had caused a substantial loss to the fiscus. The Asset Forfeiture Unit, represented by Advocate Rajendrie Naidoo, obtained a preservation order to the value of R500 000 against Balmint.’
Kara said the court deviated from the minimum sentence of 15 years due to Balmint's age.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
