THE tax practitioner who defrauded Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille of R80 000 has been found guilty on a multitude of charges including fraud and theft in the Wynberg Regional Court.
Linda Addison-Adams, 54, used various methods to con clients until one of her victims laid bare her suspicious conduct to the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
More than 40 witnesses, including De Lille, were called by the state to testify in the case.
Among other things, Addison-Adams helped taxpayers complete their tax returns. She ensured that SARS posted her clients’’ refund cheques to her address. The cheques were then deposited into her account without the taxpayer’’s knowledge. And sometimes she would provided her banking details for SARS to refund her clients’’ money.
Initially she said the money she had taken was owed to her by clients for services rendered. But during cross-examination by Advocate Freek Geyser, she admitted guilt.
“The NPA welcomes the conviction which shows that the State had a very strong case against the accused. The accused was not only defrauding SARS, but also her own clients who trusted her,’’’’ said Eric Ntabazalila, spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority in the Western Cape.
“She thus completely abused her position of trust.
“Many criminals think they are too smart to be caught, prosecuted and convicted. Such criminals are sorely mistaken.’’’’
She was found guilty on 72 counts of fraud, 13 of theft and for not submitting her own tax returns for eight years.
Addison-Adams will be sentenced in September.