Sars defrauder in jail
A CAPE Town businessman Thomas Bloemeris-Fortuin, and father of former Miss SA runner-up Tammy-Anne Fortuin, has been sentenced to six years imprisonment for fraud, with three suspended.
At the Cape Town Regional Court yesterday, 66-year-old Bloemeris-Fortuin was convicted on 70 counts of fraud, 83 counts of forgery, 83 counts of uttering and two counts of failing to submit income tax returns.
His son, Tom-Ross Fortuin, and their bookkeeper Ivor Carlo Carolissen were convicted on 382 counts of fraud.
Fortuin, who a few years ago was awarded the Future 100 Award for young entrepreneurs, entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State and was convicted on 79 counts of fraud and four counts of failing to submit income tax returns.
Carolissen, who also entered into a plea and sentencing agreement, was convicted on 88 counts of fraud, 79 counts of uttering and four counts of failing to submit income tax returns.
It was found that Bloemeris-Fortuin fraudulently enriched himself by using his family, their registered close corporations and their mutual bookkeeper to the prejudice of SA Revenue Service (Sars).
He was an unrehabilitated insolvent and his ability to trade was restricted.
His son received a four-year suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay back R615 592 to Sars.
Carolissen also received a four-year suspended prison sentence and was placed under house arrest. The State said the fraudsters submitted fraudulent VAT claims to Sars, misleading it to believe that certain VAT-attractable transactions took place between the said related close corporations that entitled them to claim VAT refunds.
Sars deposited the VAT claims into three of the mentioned close corporations’ bank accounts, and these were withdrawn as soon as they were deposited.
Co-ordinated work between Sars investigator, Francois Scholtz, and the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Tax Unit prosecutor, Advocate Wimpie Els, led to the discovery of a web of lies with the sole purpose of getting money for fictitious companies.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the scheme started between September 2008 and November 2011 where members of the Fortuin family, four close corporations and their bookkeeper committed tax-related offences against Sars.