In a six-million (Rs 3.22 crore) fraud and forgery case, Ashish Lata Ramgobin, Mahatma Gandhi's 56-year-old great-granddaughter, was sentenced to seven years in prison by a Durban court.
After advancing Rs 6.2 million to her for allegedly clearing import and Customs duties for a non-existent consignment from India, Ashish Lata Ramgobin was accused of defrauding businessman SR Maharaj, who was promised a share of the profits.
The Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court also denied Lata Ramgobin, the daughter of noted rights activists Ela Gandhi and the late Mewa Ramgobind, leave to appeal both the conviction and the sentence.
Lata Ramgobin allegedly provided forged invoices and documents to convince investors that three containers of linen were being shipped in from India, according to Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). At that time, Lata Ramgobin was released on a bail of 50,000 rand.
In August 2015, Lata Ramgobin met SR Maharaj, the director of the New Africa Alliance Footwear Distributors. His company imports, manufactures, and sells clothing, linens, and footwear, as well as providing profit-sharing financing to other businesses. Mahatma Gandhi's great-granddaughter informed Maharaj that she had imported three containers of linen for the NetCare Hospital Group in South Africa.
"Lata Ramgobin said she was having financial difficulties paying for import costs and customs, and she needed the money to clear the goods at the harbour," NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara said.
"She needed R6.2 million, she told Maharaj. She showed him a signed purchase order for the goods to persuade him. She sent him a NetCare invoice and delivery note later that month as proof that the goods had been delivered and payment was on the way, " Kara added.
She further explained that Lata Ramgobin "further sent him confirmation from NetCare's bank account that payment had been made."
Ramgobin's family credentials and NetCare documents prompted Maharaj to enter into an agreement with her. When he discovered the documents were forged, he filed a criminal complaint.
Ramgobin was the founder and executive director of the International Centre for Non-Participative Violence's Development Initiative, where she described herself as a "activist with a focus on environmental, societal, and political interests."
Kirti Menon, the late Satish Dhupelia, and Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie, Lata Ramgobin's cousins, are among the descendants of Mahatma Gandhi who are human rights activists. Ela Gandhi, Ramgobin's mother, has received international recognition for her efforts, including national awards from both India and South Africa.
