A Bloemfontein company director was sentenced and ordered to pay back almost half a million rand after being found guilty of tax fraud.
Candida Chrystal Smith (46), CEO of the Free State Fashion Week, was found guilty of fraud and the contravention of the Tax Administration Act in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Her sentencing follows a South African Revenue Service (SARS) investigation that revealed that she had submitted false returns for the tax period 2019 to 2020. As a result, SARS suffered a loss of about R472 701.
The case was handed over to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation based in Bloemfontein, culminating in the sentencing.
Smith was sentenced to a fine of R300 000 or three years’ imprisonment which is wholly suspended for five years.
She was also ordered to repay the remaining amount by 2029.
