A 37-year-old Mpumalanga man who defrauded the South African Revenue Service (SARS) of R55,000 by submitting false information and fraudulent tax returns has been ordered to pay back the money.
Tshepo MacDonald Motswene and his company, TMM Material Suppliers and Projects, were found guilty and sentenced by the Middelburg Specialised Regional Court on Wednesday.
Hawks provincial spokesperson, Warrant Officer Thandi Tshabalala, said that in January 2020, Motswene under his company, submitted false information and fraudulent tax returns to SARS and claimed R55,000.
“The actual claim submitted was amounting to R941,253 but only R55,000 was paid into the company’s FNB account,” said Tshabalala.
As a result, the company was fined R50,000, wholly suspended for five years on the condition that it is not convicted of the same offence during the suspension period.
Tshabalala further explained that Motswene was sentenced to five years imprisonment or a R50,000 fine, wholly suspended for five years on the condition that he is not convicted of the same offence during the suspension period.
“He was ordered to pay back SARS an amount of R55,000 which should be paid in instalments. He will pay R10,000 on or before May 27, 2024 and his settle the amount in monthly instalments of R1,250 from July 5, 2024,” Tshabalala added.
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