Former Despatch bookkeeper Lindy Sharp was sentenced today in the Port Elizabeth Regional Court to 8 years imprisonment for defrauding the taxman of nearly 2 million rand.
Two years of the sentence was suspended for a period of 4 years, meaning she will serve an effective six years imprisonment.
The 42-year-old Sharp pleaded guilty back in September of 2015 after being charged with defrauding the SA Revenue Services of more than 1.9 million rand between July and October of 2012 by submitting fictitious Paye as you Earn and Site taxes claims for 54 local tax payers.
Her personal cut from these claims amounted to R753 000.
SARS became aware of the situation when they interviewed her in November 2012 and she admitted to wrongdoing.
Meanwhile in the Oudtshoorn Magistrate's Court, 57-year-old Ockert Fourie was sentenced to an 8 year jail term on Thursday for defrauding ABSA Bank of almost R5-million.
Fourie, a sole member of the Close Corporation, Sunprix Grape and Citrus Distribution, defrauded the bank of approximately R4.86 million after he had successfully transacted with the bank on previous occasions, thereby gaining its trust.
The money was paid into his account with the understanding that he was due to receive close on 600-thousand euro from overseas corporations he had supposedly exported fruit to.
He then used the money and the bank never received the promised foreign currency.
Fourie subsequently switched his business account to a different bank.
Following investigations by the Hawks, Fourie was arrested in October 2014 and found guilty as charged in December of last year.
