Vimpie’s acquittal raises doubts over blue lights corruption trial

THE State's longstanding corruption case against businessman Vimpie Phineas Manthata suffered a major blow this week when the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court acquitted him and his co-accused in a R19 million tax fraud case that had formed a central pillar of the broader “blue lights” procurement scandal.

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The verdict, delivered by Magistrate Phindi Keswa, saw Manthata, his company Instrumentation for Traffic Law Enforcement (ITLE), and bookkeeper Judy Rose cleared of all charges related to alleged violations of the Tax Administration Act during the 2018 and 2019 tax years.

Legal experts say the State's inability to prove its SARS case beyond a reasonable doubt will now put additional pressure on the corruption trial, which has already faced years of delays, procedural blunders, and accusations of political motivation.

“The prosecution could not distinguish between clerical mistakes and criminal conduct,’ Magistrate Keswa ruled.

“Assumptions and administrative discrepancies cannot be used to build a case without clear evidence of intent”

The SARS prosecution had alleged that Manthata’s company manipulated its tax returns to avoid paying nearly R19m in VAT and other obligations.

But defence attorney Pierre du Toit successfully argued that there was no evidence of fraud, deception, or intent to mislead SARS.