Tobago businesswoman Richie Habib, her associate Yolande Clarke, and their company Habib International Ltd, have been called to stand trial over allegations of a multimillion-dollar Value Added Tax (VAT) fraud related to the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). The charges include a conspiracy to defraud the state of more than $2.3 million in VAT between August 1, 2016, and December 31, 2021. The prosecution accuses Habib International of submitting 65 invoices, which included VAT charges, even though the company wasn’t registered for VAT during the period. The VAT collected wasn’t remitted to the Board of Inland Revenue, the prosecution alleges. The case comes from an investigation by the BIR’s Criminal Tax Investigation Unit after concerns of fraudulent invoicing. Habib and Clarke have been granted $800,000 bail each, with the trial expected to start on September 18.
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