Celebrity Chef Lusizo Henna has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on six counts of fraud and six years imprisonment on 14 counts of money laundering by the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
The presiding magistrate found that the 41-year-old Henna, as owner of Blaque Olive Chefs, claimed undue VAT refunds totalling R5,3 million, of which SARS paid R3,1 million to Henna.
There were no trading activities in Blaque Olive’s bank accounts resembling these claims and the court found that these claims were solely submitted to defraud South African Revenue Service.
After receiving the R3.1 million in his bank account Henna laundered the money in 14 days by transferring the proceeds of the scheme to relatives, friends and others related to him.
Gauteng NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwana says, “Celebrity Chef Lusizo Henna was sentenced by the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court to 10 years imprisonment on six counts of fraud and six years imprisonment on 14 counts of money laundering. As the NPA we continue in our plight to protect the fiscus and we applaud the commitment of Advocate Oosthuizen as well as the investigating team in ensuring that justice is served.”
