Former Sars manager charged with tax fraud

A former Eastern Cape Sars manager has been charged with allegedly cheating on his taxes to the tune of R2m.

Bayanda Mehlala, 38, appeared in the East London magistrate's court on Friday and was released on R10,000 bail, police reported on Saturday. Mehlala stands accused of defrauding his employer, the South African Revenue Service, by unlawfully and intentionally submitting false tax returns.

He allegedly registered two companies to evade tax to obtain an undue VAT refund “with the total prejudice of more than R2m”,the Hawks' Eastern Cape serious commercial crime division said. 

At the time of the alleged fraud in 2020 Mehlala was serving as a Sars operational manager, it said.   

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