A former SA Revenue Service (SARS) employee, Penelope Khumalo, has been found guilty of fraud and corruption and sentenced to 14 years by the Nelspruit Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
The 46-year-old was further sentenced to eight years imprisonment on two counts of corruption. Khumalo will, therefore, effectively serve a 10-year jail term without an option of a fine.
Police spokesperson Captain Dineo Sekgotodi said her sentencing comes after a lengthy investigation which revealed that in March 2010, Khumalo assisted VAT (value-added tax) vendors to complete and submit fraudulent returns with the aim of receiving undue refunds from SARS.
The taxman suffered a loss of R550 000 as a result.
Major-General Gerber, head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, applauded the investigating officer and the prosecution team for making sure that the accused faces the might of the law.
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