Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - Four people, including a government employee who allegedly posed as an SA Revenue Service official, have been arrested for allegedly abusing the tax system, Sars said on Friday.
They were arrested last month, spokesperson Marika Muller said in a statement.
In September, Sars arrested a number of people, including a government employee in Johannesburg who posed as a Sars staff member.
"He threatened a business owner with arrest if he did not pay this individual amounts he claimed were owed to Sars," said Muller.
"The business owner contacted Sars and the individual was arrested after a sting was set up and the monies collected by him," she said.
In Mmabatho, North West, a man was arrested for allegedly attempting to bribe a Sars official to release a vehicle which had been seized when it was found to be carrying counterfeit goods.
"The suspect offered the Sars employee a R6 000 bribe, and was arrested after handing over R4 400."
Muller said that in another case, Sonja Galant pleaded guilty in the Bellville Regional Court to 462 counts of fraud and tax avoidance.
In a separate incident, a Johannesburg woman suspected of income tax fraud was arrested for allegedly submitting fraudulent claims.
She was to be given a refund of R11 593.
"The refund was not paid out to her."
Sars also seized various items entering the country, including eight kilograms of cocaine with a street value of over R2m, 5.5kg of ephedrine valued at R1,650,000, and 16 cellphones and two laptops, all blacklisted and reported as stolen, in parcels from South Africa to Bangladesh, Tanzania, Nigeria, and India.
