MBOMBELA – Godfrey Sifiso Tony Lukhele (33) was found guilty on 131 counts of fraud by the Nelspruit Regional Court on July 29, for defrauding SARS of the amount of R3 million.
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In a statement received from Capt Dineo Sekgotodi from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) , Lukhele submitted false VAT claims for three years, starting in March 2013. He was initially arrested following a Hawks Investigation. After he appeared in court, he was subsequently granted R70 000 bail, but failed to appear on the scheduled date to commence with his trial.
He was arrested on July 9, after a warrant of arrest was issued.
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Lukhele was furthermore linked to another case of fraud, where he fraudulently sold a house on behalf of the owner and took an amount of R52 863,24 for himself.
On August 5, Lukhele was sentenced on two counts of fraud, to five years imprisonment, half of which is suspended on condition that he pays back an amount of R1 million to SARS. Another five year sentence, wholly suspended for five years, was handed down, on condition that he pays back the money he took unlawfully when he sold the house of the complainant.
