Following a Beitbridge border inspection of a high-end vehicle, a Cape Town man was handed a two-year prison sentence. Zayid Dawood Karrim (44) was convicted of forgery, fraud and violating the National Credit Act.
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As reported by Times Live, the sentencing took place on Monday, 3 July 2023, at the specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Bellville, as confirmed by Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani.
Hani said, ‘A complaint of vehicle finance fraud was received at Ottery Toyota in October 2010 through WesBank, where Karrim inflated bank statements and submitted false payslips during the application of a vehicle worth R665,635.’
To make matters worse, Karrim exacerbated the situation by neglecting to make the monthly payments and opting to lease out the vehicle instead.
‘The person to whom he rented out the vehicle tried to cross Beitbridge into Zimbabwe in 2012 and that is where the fraud was discovered,’ said Hani.
Karrim was apprehended in 2015, but he absconded during his court proceedings. The serious commercial crime investigation team from Bellville-based Hawks successfully located and re-arrested him.
Later in August 2022, Karrim voluntarily surrendered himself to the team, facing charges of contempt of court for failing to attend two previous court sessions related to vehicle finance fraud cases in 2010 and 2013. In both instances, he had been granted bail of R5 000.
Karrim has received the following sentences:
- Eighteen months of imprisonment for forgery
- Twelve months of jail time for contravening the National Credit Act
- Six years of imprisonment for fraud, with four years being suspended.
According to Hani, this means that Karrim will effectively serve a two-year direct prison term. He is scheduled to appear in court again on 28 August 2023 regarding the 2013 case.
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