Kitwe-based firm fraudulently claims K458,000 VAT, to undergo trial for financial crimes

A Kitwe-based taxpayer who fraudulently recovered K458,000 Value Added Tax (VAT) has been found with a case to answer on false returns and tax evasion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Court.

The case came up for a ruling before the Economic and Financial Crimes Court sitting on circuit from Lusaka on June 8, 2023, said Zambia Revenue Authority Corporate Communications Manager, Oliver Nzala, in a statement on Sunday.

Nzala said Focus on Equipment and Services Limited, a registered taxpayer with ZRA jointly and whilst acting together with Xing Tang as Director, Edward Mwamulima as an Accountant and Kennedy Chintukwane as Human Resource Officer, on dates unknown but between January 1, 2020 and March 2, 2022 in Kitwe was alleged to have provided false documents to ZRA.

Nzala said this included Tax Invoice numbers to ZRA purporting to show that Mount Meru Petroleum (Z) Limited had supplied taxable goods to Focus on Equipment and Services Limited, which was false.

“Further, in the same period and jurisdiction the accused persons fraudulently recovered K458,000 Value Added Tax by providing false returns that taxable supplies were made to Focus on Equipment and Services Limited for the month of May 2020, June 2020, August 2020 and January 2021 when infact not,” he said.

According to Nzala, the Economic and Financial Crimes Court found all the accused persons with a case to answer and accordingly put them on defence.

He indicated that the accused persons elected to give evidence on oath and will call witnesses in their defence.

The case has been adjourned to the 19th, 20th and 21st June 2023 for commencement of defence.

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