Nelspruit (Mbombela) – Former South African Revenue Services (SARS) staffer 46-year-old Penelope Hlengiwe Khumalo is going to jail for 10 years for defrauding the taxman of over half a million rand.
This week on Tuesday, the Nelspruit Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sentenced Khumalo, who had been found guilty of fraud and corruption.
A lengthy investigation revealed that in March 2010, the accused assisted VAT vendors to complete and submit fraudulent returns to receive undue refunds from SARS.
The Revenue Service suffered an actual loss of R550 000.
The accused was sentenced to 14 years combined imprisonment on four counts of fraud.
She was further sentenced to an eight-year prison term for two counts of corruption.
However, the court ruled the prison terms would run concurrently and that Khumalo will effectively serve 10 years in prison, without an option of a fine.
The Provincial Head of the Hawks, Major General Gerber applauded the efforts shown by the investigating officer and the prosecution team, who ensured that justice prevailed and the accused received the appropriate sentence.
