A court sheriff and an alleged member of a syndicate have been arrested in Durban on charges of contravening the Income Tax and Vat Act.
The arrested sheriff deals with auctions of properties (houses), on behalf of the banks. He and a syndicate member are alleged to have colluded to influence prices at auctions on their favour, by means of corruptive and intimidating behaviour.
The allegations, which came to light through a joint investigation with South African Revenue Service (SARS), are that these suspects made money from buying and selling properties and did not pay tax to the South African Revenue Services. The estimated value at this stage is R40 million.
The forensic investigation with regards to the fraud and corruption is still on-going. These arrests are only for the Tax Act for now. The suspects are appearing in the Durban Commercial Crimes court shortly.
Media contact:
Colonel McIntosh Polela
Tel: 012 400 6579 /6584
Cell: 082 475 1427
Fax: 012 400 7018
E-mail: dpci.communication@saps.org.za
Two suspects arrested for allegedly enriching themselves by illegally influencing auctions
