Mahatma Gandhi's great granddaughter convicted for 7 years
7 years imprisonment has been declared by the court.
A South-African Durban court has sentenced the 56-year-old great-granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi to seven years in prison for cheating and forging documents of Rs 60 lakh. On Monday, the court convicted Ashish Lata Ramgobin.
She was accused of duping businessman SR Maharaj. SR paid Rs 62 lakh for alleged clearance of import and customs duty for a non-existing consignment from India. In this the Maharaja was promised a share in the profits.
Lata Ramgobin is the daughter of renowned rights activist Ela Gandhi and the late Mewa Ramgobind.
When the trial of the case against Lata Ramgobin began in 2015, Brigadier Hungwani Mouloudzi of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was said to have given forged invoices and documents to convince potential investors that the linen was imported from India. At that time Lata Ramgobin was released on bail of 50,000 Rand. During the hearing on Monday, the court was told that Lata Ramgobin had met Maharaj, director of New Africa Alliance footwear distributors, in August 2015. The company imports, manufactures and sells clothing, linen and footwear. Maharaj's company also finances other companies on profit-share basis. Lata Ramgobin told Maharaj that she had imported three containers of linen for the South African hospital group Netcare.
How did Lata cheat?
"She said she was experiencing financial difficulties to pay for import costs and customs and she needed the money to clear the goods at the harbour,” NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara said on Monday.
"She advised him (Maharaj) that she needed R6.2 million. To convince him, she showed him what she claimed was a signed purchase order for the goods. Later that month, she sent him what seemed to be a NetCare invoice and delivery note as proof that the goods were delivered and payment was imminent," she said.
A founder and Executive Director of the Participative Development Initiative at the NGO International Centre for Non-Violence, Ramgobin described herself as "an activist with a focus on environmental, societal and political interests."
