Walvis Bay
A senior taxation officer of the Ministry of Finance’s Inland Revenue office at Walvis Bay, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the N$2.2 million fraud at Inland Revenue, handed herself over to the police here on Tuesday morning.
Detective Inspector Erastus Iikuyu yesterday confirmed that after being on the run for almost two weeks a key suspect, Janette Garoes, arrived at Walvis Bay police station where she surrendered to the police.
She was then brought before Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on a charge of fraud.
Her arrest brings to 11 the number of suspects arrested in connection with the reported multi-million dollar tax fraud scheme.
The other suspects are Leonardo Roselli, Patrick Titus, Micheal Maclobo, Vernacio Muller and Henry Enrico Visagie, his wife Wellmina Visagie, Morne Feris, Jaqueline Imbili, Quinton Mathews and Marlon Ruzyanne Prins.
Iikuyu said the suspects allegedly committed fraud between April 2013 and November 2016. “It is suspected that they created fake and forged Pay As You Earn (PAYE5) certificates in the names of friends and relatives and processed them, resulting in undeserved tax refunds” of around N$2,2 million Iikuyu explained.
“There are still about 11 suspects outstanding and it is only a matter of time before we arrest them,” he told New Era yesterday.
The abovementioned suspects made their first court appearances in connection with the case on December 29 and 30, 2016 before Magistrate Vicky Nicolidis in Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court and were all denied bail in the first instance. Their case was then postponed to January 10 for the hearing of formal bail applications.