Accused in Estina Linked Tax Case Appear in Court

11 APRIL 2025

Accused in Estina Linked Tax Case Appear in Court

The trial against Kamal Vasram and Saliesh Indurjeeth relating to the R37,7 million SARS customs tax fraud case emanating from the importing of a pasteurisation plant for the Estina Dairy Farm, commenced before the Pretoria Regional Court today, 11 April 2025.

The matter was postponed to 18 August 2025 for further trial. The state will, however, prior to that, file an application for the admissibility of further evidence which has been sourced from another country. The court ordered the state to file its application by 06 June 2025 and the defence to file their reply by 07 July 2025. Arguments will subsequently be heard on 18 July 2025 for the court to make a ruling on the admissibility of the evidence on 18 August 2025.

The duo’s court appearance emanates from a collaborative investigation by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) into the Estina Dairy Project, wherein they allegedly submitted fraudulent and inflated customs clearance valued at the time of importation at approximately R37,7 million for the pasteurisation plant imported from India, declared to be new, while it was allegedly secondhand. The importation of the pasteurisation plant was allegedly invoiced to Estina by Gateway Limited in the UAE, a company linked to the Guptas.

The accused remain out on R10 000 bail each.

Enquiries:

Henry Mamothame
IDAC - Spokesperson
082 317 5731