JOHANNESBURG - A SARS investigation has revealed a case of fraud amounting to almost R200m. The matter emerged in a bail hearing held at the Johannesburg Magistrates Court on Friday.

A warrant for the arrest of Grant Alan Coetzer has been issued by the SAPS after he failed to honour a summons requiring him to attend the opening hearings surrounding the case.

According to an affidavit submitted by Riaan Engelbrecht, the SARS official who has been investigating the matter, Coetzer is listed as the director of the majority of eighteen companies which have apparently been established solely for the purpose of defrauding SARS.

His two co-accused are Anton Meyer, who was listed as the director of the remainder of the companies and Wendy Wright, who was identified as the person who supplied the false documentation to SARS.

The SARS audit revealed that the companies had, during the period between January 2007 and January 2010, submitted fraudulent VAT refund forms allowing them to claim an amount of over R198 million, R146 million of which had been paid into the companies.

Engelbrecht's affidavit revealed that all eighteen companies had used the same modus operandi in their claim as they all claimed to have paid Taxes and Duties on the importation of software, which is later exported to other countries.

As companies are allowed to reclaim VAT on imports used for business purposes and are not required to pay an export tax the fraudulent claims allowed for a rapid accumulation of money.

The audit was conducted after SARS systems indentified certain risk elements associated with the claims which may include the amount, period and manner in which the claims were submitted.

A large quantity of documents were also found and seized during the raid which prima facie were created to substantiate the VAT refund claims.

Stamps including Customs and Excise stamps which were used to produce the false documents were also found in Coetzer's house and office during the raid.

In the hearing on Friday, Wright was awarded bail of R19 000 after protesting her innocence in the matter while Meyer has been released on a bail of R50 000.

The suspects are said to have co-operated fully during the search and seizure operation.

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