Porritt in court over unpaid VAT claim

Porritt was arrested in Pietermartizburg on Wednesday on a charge of fraud, and was due to bring a bail application yesterday. However, the application will be made today because a magistrate could not be found for the hearing yesterday. Godfrey Baloyi, the Manager of the National Enforcement Unit of the SARS, said the service was also owed interest, penalties and additional tax for outstanding VAT. Also before the court on Wednesday will be an application for the rescission of an application by Porritt to convene a meeting to consider his compromise offer to Tigon creditors. Superintendent Phindile Radebe is quoted in a report in The Witness as saying the new charge follows the alleged submission of a false claim for R38m to the Master of the High Court in Pietermaritzburg against EBN Trading, which is being liquidated. Porritt\'s business associate and co-accused in other fraud charges, Susan Bennett, suggested the charges were ‘trumped up’. His lawyer, Frank Cohen, also hinted at some confusion concerning the charges. The latest charges against Porritt are not related to the charges of theft, fraud, corruption, tax evasion, money laundering, racketeering, contravening the Stock Exchange Control Act, share price manipulation and contravening sections of the Exchange Control and Companies Acts that are scheduled to come to the High Court in January 2006. Full report in The Mercury Full report in The Witness