29-year-old company director charged with tax evasion

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The director of Ganvi Ventures SMC Company Limited has been charged with making false statements to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) involving sh211 million.

Victor Gatana, 29, a resident of Bunga in Makindye division, Kampala City, was charged before the Anti-Corruption Court in Nakasero on Friday (April 4).

He appeared before Principal Grade One Magistrate Christopher Opit.

Gatana was charged with two counts of making false statement to a tax officer, contrary to Section 67(1)(a) of the Tax Procedures Code Act, CAP 343, and one count of using false documents, contrary to Section 203(6) of the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004.

He was freed on a cash bail of sh5 million and his two sureties are to execute a non-cash bail of sh50m.

The prosecution team led by Hildah Atusiimire and Stella Nayebare alleges that on March 11, 2022, at William Street in Kampala, being the director of Ganvi Ventures SMC Limited, Gatana made false statement to a tax officer in relation to Value Added Tax (VAT) return for the month of July 2021. 

He allegedly claimed to have purchased goods from Bidco Uganda Limited at sh211 million, with a VAT implication of sh38 million.

The prosecution further alleges that on August 15, 2021, at William Street in Kampala City, acting as director of Ganvi Ventures SMS Company Limited, Gatana made another false statement to a tax officer regarding the VAT for the month of July 2021.

He allegedly claimed to have exported salt worth sh20 million from Uganda to South Sudan, asserting that the transaction qualified as zero-rated export sales. It is alleged that he fraudulently obtained a tax refund from URA.

It is alleged that between July 2021 and June 2022, Gatana, through his company which deals in salt exports, used fake documents to evade taxes. He reportedly claimed to have exported various goods through the Moyo-Afogi customs border to the Republic of South Sudan.

The prosecution informed the court that investigations are still ongoing and requested more time to allow the Police to complete their inquiries.

The case was adjourned until May 23 to enable the prosecution update court on the status of inquiries.