PORT ELIZABETH, October 19 (ANA) – The case against a Durban man charged with fraud involving R24 million will resume in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday.
The 43-year-old KwaZulu-Natal businessman is charged with defrauding the Eastern Cape education department out of R24 million.
Vishal Seebran is no stranger to the courts, in 2014 he was acquitted in the East London Regional Court after allegations that he and two others tried to bribe former education boss, Modidima Mannya, into awarding stationery tenders to Seebran’s company, Paper Active, Daily Disptach reported at the time.
At the time, the three allegedly wanted to be reinstated in a multimillion-rand tender process after they had been disqualified the previous year.
In his case before the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court, the State alleges that between October and December 2009, Seebran through his company, submitted fraudulent tax certificates and false letters to the department, in order to be awarded tenders worth R24 million.
Listed in the indictment, are three companies — Paper Active (Pty) Ltd, Mega Papers (Pty) Ltd, and African Paper Products (Pty) Ltd — Seebran is a director of each company. Seebran is also facing a charge of forgery in relation to the forging of a tax clearance certificates.
Seebran is not expected to attend court proceedings on Thursday.
Earlier in January, City Press reported that a contract worth more than R400 million, was awarded to African Papers Products in December 2016.
African Paper Products was among five companies contracted by the Eastern Cape education department to distribute stationery for the 2017 academic year.
At the time Seebran was quoted as saying that the company delivered stationery in the Libode, Maluti and Lusikisiki districts.
– African News Agency (ANA)
