High-flying businessman ran R154m tax scam, claims SARS

It says affidavits and documents show that Tloubatla (38), who drives a Porsche Cayenne and has a number of houses valued at more than R4m, is the mastermind of an audacious R154m scheme to swindle tax from the SA Revenue Service (SARS) using a network of insiders. The report states that a full-scale SARS probe into Tloubatla's companies - Magnified Designs and Lethlabe Civils - uncovered a vast tax racket. Tloubatla and his wife would ask for 'tax refunds' using fraudulent documents, according to the report which states SARS officials who had been bribed would then pay the 'tax refunds' into shell companies set up by Tloubatla. The report notes SARS official Parbhookumar Moodley said in an affidavit that Tloubatla was the 'mastermind', who used the shell company CBK Marketing Resources as the main vehicle to extract funds from the taxman. Tloubatla's lawyer Melatong Ramushu said his client 'wishes not to respond at this stage'. Tloubatla's assets and those of his companies have been frozen, the report states. Full Sunday Times report (subscription needed)