Gatana Victor Pleads Not Guilty to Six Charges of Tax Fraud, Granted Bail by Anti-Corruption Court

Gatana Victor, the Director of Ganvi Ventures SMC Limited, has been formally charged with six counts of tax-related offences before the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court in Kampala on 4th April 2025. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was subsequently granted bail by Magistrate Orit Christopher, who presided over the session.

The charges brought against Gatana stem from investigations by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) in collaboration with the Uganda Police. The case, registered under reference URA/CRB/025/2025 and dated 19th March 2025, outlines serious allegations of fraudulent dealings, involving falsified Value Added Tax (VAT) refund claims and use of false export documents.

Breakdown of Charges

According to the charge sheet presented to court:

Count 1 & 2: Gatana is accused of knowingly making false statements to tax officers in March and August 2021, falsely claiming to have made taxable supplies worth UGX 211 million and UGX 20 million respectively, when in fact no such supplies were made. The accused used these false statements to fraudulently claim tax refunds totaling over UGX 43 million.

Count 3 & 4: He is further accused of filing false VAT returns in October and November 2021, using fabricated export entries to falsely claim tax refunds worth UGX 6.8 million and UGX 17.4 million respectively.

Count 5: Under Section 285 of the Penal Code Act, he is charged with obtaining money by false pretense, having defrauded URA of UGX 31.5 million in tax refunds.

Count 6: The final charge involves the alleged use of false documents, contrary to Section 203(e) of the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004. It is alleged that between July 2022 and June 2023, Gatana presented falsified customs entries to claim export activities that never occurred.

The prosecution claims that all these fraudulent VAT refund claims were orchestrated under the pretense of exporting salt to South Sudan, but investigations revealed no such exports occurred.

Despite the gravity of the allegations, Gatana Victor was granted bail on a cash bond of UGX 5 million. He presented two sureties:

Ndahiro Verena, his mother,

Loyce Ochieng, his aunt and neighbor.

Both were accepted by the court after verification of their credentials and residences.

The case has been adjourned to 23rd May 2025 for further proceedings. The prosecution, led by D/ASP Kyamulabi Janet, has indicated readiness to proceed with evidence when the court resumes.

The case has drawn public attention, highlighting ongoing efforts by the Uganda Revenue Authority and the Anti-Corruption Division to clamp down on tax fraud and illicit refund schemes within the business community.