The Namibian Revenue Agency (NamRA) has uncovered a fraudulent scheme linked to the Mass Tax Refund Initiative, resulting in the illicit payout of over N$666,000 in tax refunds.
According to NamRA’s Chief of Strategic Communications and Support Engagements, Yarukeekuro Ndorokaze, the scheme was detected between January and April, and involved a NamRA worker, a Ministry of Finance official, and three other suspects.
An internal investigation revealed that recently registered taxpayers, predominantly unemployed individuals with no tax liability, were fraudulently processed for refunds for periods dating back to 2011.
The investigation further revealed that the affected persons were, in most cases, unaware of the registrations’ completion. Once the refunds were paid out, the money was distributed among the perpetrators, including through mobile and wallet banking platforms.
NamRA has suspended the NamRA worker involved in the scheme and reversed the secondment of the Ministry of Finance official. The three other suspects have been arrested and appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court.
NamRA is urging the public to exercise vigilance and not to provide personal banking details or identification documents to third parties for tax-related transactions.
“We want to warn the public to be cautious and not to share their personal details with anyone,” said Ndorokaze.The agency is working to recover the stolen funds and to bring all perpetrators to justice
