| Four employees of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) who were detained for allegedly being involved in a $300M fraud conspiracy have been released from police custody.A source close to the investigation yesterday acknowledged that the probe is ongoing but with its complexities,Brett Favre Falcons Jersey, it will take time to piece together the puzzle.Yesterday,Deion Sanders Falcons Jersey, Commissioner-General of the GRA, Khurshid Sattaur, responding to questions on the investigations, advised Kaieteur News to delve a little more and find out which big businesses are involved.Last week,Ben Roethlisberger Steelers Jersey, a key employee implicated in a multi-million-dollar fraud conspiracy at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) vanished shortly after questioning.GRA sources yesterday said the staffer was initially questioned when the fraud was discovered on Tuesday. However, the employee disappeared shortly after and police have found no trace of the individual.A senior GRA staff has since said that the employee is believed to have fled the country.As investigators attempt to piece together the puzzle,Randall Cobb Packers Jersey, the GRA Commissioner-General had urged importers who may have been involved in the fraud conspiracy to come forward or face the full consequences.According to Sattaur, checks have revealed instances of irregular transactions during different periods over the last year. While the top official did not go into details, another GRA official said that from initial checks, it is believed that for some time now, payments for imported goods were pilfered by cashiers.The official said that it could have been a case where the importer, after being assessed, went to the cashier at Customs House to pay. However, either the amounts were never recorded in the GRA computer system or a lower amount was recorded.In another scenario,Steve Grogan Patriots Jersey, it could be that the importer was involved and paid bribes to ensure he or she did not pay the full amount.What suspects possibly did not cater for was that the GRA’s system is interlinked with transactions being done in triplicate.With several checks along the way, the system will balance itself each day and any shortages or excess cash is bound to show up.On Wednesday last,Hines Ward Steelers Jersey, GRA said that from initial investigations, its IT security system was compromised in a scheme that may have started a year ago and involved several prominent businesses.“The successful detection came as a result of the proper functioning of the internal control system and the scrupulous performance of duties by some staff members which led to further checks being carried out by a special team on the IT system.”It is believed that the lone IT staff was the mastermind of the plot.The Guyana Revenue Authority has appealed to consumers to take a more active and vigilant role in reporting fraudulent and illegal activities they may encounter when purchasing goods from businesses.The Commissioner-General has warned that businesses caught evading taxes by maintaining dual record books, could face closure.According to Sattaur, the law provides that in cases which offences are repeated, a business can be shut down for a period of 3 to 30 days. “This may be the next remedy which we will have to institute in the near future, for those businesses who do not heed the call to correct what they are doing.”Making an appeal for consumers to report any fraudulent or illegal activities they may encounter, Sattaur in a press release yesterday also said that “the watchdog of the GRA is really the public, the consumers,Donnie Shell Steelers Jersey, those who are defrauded the most,Logan Ryan Patriots Jersey, those whose money are collected and not remitted, those who are swindled by these unscrupulous businesses, those who are tempted by these businesses with the question, do you want a receipt for which you will have to pay VAT or not?”When this occurs,Mike Wagner Steelers Jersey, he said, the taxes are being cheated by both the consumers and the businesses. “These deceitful practices contribute to tax evasion by businesses. Thus, the businesses will continue to get richer and richer while the public suffers from poor and inadequate public goods and services such as healthcare and social security which is made available through taxes collected.”Sattaur warned that business persons engaged in fraudulent activities risk imprisonment and the payment of fines as well as payment of taxes due in addition to interest based on assessment of their tax liability.Consumers can report any fraudulent or illegal activities by calling the GRA Intelligence Hotline on telephone no. 225-6687. All information received will be treated with the strictest of confidentiality, GRA said. |
