Two men were released on bail while a third accused, a woman, was released on warning after they were charged with allegedly submitting fraudulent tax return claims to Sars on behalf of their companies.

The claims amounted to R8.2m, according to Hawks spokesperson Capt Ndivhuwo Mulamu.  

Harisi Bukari, 45, Kudzaishe Jamescai Magura, 41, and Christel Pillay, 44, appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday.

“Bukari, the director at Mark Two Electronics in Bezuidenhout Valley in Johannesburg, allegedly submitted fraudulent tax return claims from 2010 to 2014. Sars allegedly suffered a loss of over R2.6m.

“Meanwhile, Pillay from another Johannesburg based company, Multizone Safety Protective Wear cc, allegedly submitted over R1m tax return claims for the period of 2011 to 2016,” said Mulamu.

“Magura, a liquor distributor director at Siyabulela Trading Enterprise, allegedly submitted documents indicating that the business was not operating or accumulating any profit. Further investigation revealed that Magura’s company was trading and receiving remuneration for the period of 2012 to 2015. As a result, Sars allegedly suffered a loss of over R4.6m for the tax return for the said period,” said Mulamu.

Bukari and Magura were granted bail of R10,000 and R5,000 respectively, and their cases postponed to November 13.

Pillay was released on warning. Pillay’s matter was expected to be heard again on November 25 for docket disclosure, according to the Hawks.

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