Shameer Goolabjith has been sentenced in the Durban Regional Court.
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- Durban lawyer Shameer Goolabjith has been sentenced to five years in prison.
- Falsified a claim estimated at R100,000, allegedly on behalf of a whistleblower, suing the Minister of Police.
- He will only serve three years, with two years fully suspended.
Durban lawyer Shameer Goolabjith has been sentenced to five years in prison for falsifying a complaint, allegedly on behalf of a whistleblower.
In July 2015, Goolabjith, 41, falsified a claim, allegedly on behalf of a whistleblower, and sued the Minister of Police.
It did so without any instruction or request from the whistleblower, said Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, a spokeswoman for the National Tax Authority (NPA).
“The potential damage from the claim is estimated at R100,000,” it added.
The senior prosecutor, Nkululeko Frank Msiya, conducted the testimony of the complainant, his wife and the evidence after an effective search warrant.
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The Durban Regional Court subsequently sentenced Goolabjith to five years in prison, two years of which are fully suspended for a period of five years.
Ramkisson-Kara said that after the sentencing, Goolabjith applied for leave to appeal his sentence and conviction.
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However, the court denied him permission to appeal. He then informed the court that he wants to ask a judge for this decision.
“The case has therefore been adjourned on a bail application pending the petition process. Goolabjith is in custody in the meantime,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
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