The High Court yesterday postponed an appeal hearing for six of 14 people convicted of defrauding the finance ministry of N$23.4 million in value-added tax (VAT) refund. 

Acting Judge Kobus Miller postponed the case to 19 November to give Mamsy Nuuyoma time to consult her lawyer on whether to forge ahead with the matter and for Paulo Kiala to sort out his legal representation.

Nuuyoma and Kiala, alongside Carlos Eliseu, Isaac Cupessala, Miapa Nelson and Noah Naukosho, are seeking leave from the High Court to appeal their convictions in the Supreme Court. 

The group were convicted in March, alongside Lukas Nestor (absconded while on bail), Benvindo Momafuba, Pembele Zimutu, Joao Manuel Dos Santos, Tatiana Luquena Muchadu Gonga, Paquete Americo Kapayola Jose, Malakias Tomas Rufine and Lucio Jose Cazembe on different counts of the total 629 counts of fraud alternatively theft, money laundering and corruptly giving a document containing false information to an agent. 

Consequently, they were sentenced to prison terms, ranging from two to 18 years. 

Nuuyoma, who worked at Aveshe Consultancy, the company that managed value-added tax (VAT) refunds on behalf of the Ministry of Finance, worked in cahoots with the group to carry out the offences. 

It is alleged the group forged tax invoices, VAT claim forms and customs documentation to claim tax refunds from the finance ministry.

False claims for tax refunds, totalling more than N$203 million, were submitted to the Ministry of Finance during 2014 and 2015 – and a total of N$26.4 million was paid out as a result of the fraudulent claims.

- mamakali@nepc.com.na