Firm was ‘vehicle for fraud’

A property deal in Java is all that stands between a Christchurch GST fraudster and a jail term.

Christchurch District Court Judge Tom Gilbert made that very clear to Andy Jayadi Ghozali at his sentencing on Friday. He wanted a ‘‘cast iron’’ assurance from the fraud offender that the property deal would go through and the $117,680 reparation would be paid by December before he would grant a seven-month home detention sentence.

The offending dates back from 2013 to

2015 when Ghozali made a series of false GST claims for his computer consultancy company, Communications and Technology Ltd, formerly known as 0508 4 Geeks Ltd. Inland Revenue said 25 GST returns were filed declaring total sales of

$2.3 million and expenses of $3.25m, resulting in GST refunds totalling $117,680.

Ghozali said he filed the returns to deal with financial problems. Judge Gilbert said it appeared he was never operating a viable business and it had been set up for the purpose of fabricating GST returns and stealing money from the New Zealand taxpayer.

‘‘The net loss to ‘NZ Inc’ has been substantial. This is more serious than failing to pay tax deductions,’’ the judge said.

Ghozali pleaded guilty in November last year to the 25 charges of filing false tax returns, but repeated attempts to get him to court to face sentencing have failed.

When he did finally appear for sentencing, defence counsel Michael Starling said Ghozali would receive $260,000 from a property transaction in Java and was undertaking to pay full reparation from that money.

Judge Gilbert questioned Ghozali about other property in New Zealand but he said he lived in a property that was owned by his family. He told Ghozali: ‘‘If this money is not going to come through from that property [in Java], you better start talking to your family.’’ Ghozali provided documentation about the Indonesian property transaction with an October settlement.