Bar-Levav convicted of Tax and VAT Offences, Jailed for 8 months

The Tel-Aviv Magistrates Court today (Tuesday) handed down a sentence of eight months imprisonment, 15 months suspended sentence and an NIS 15,000 fine against Michael Bar-Levav, CPA.

Two indictments were brought against Bar-Levav. One - by the Tel-Aviv Prosecutor's office (taxation and economics) - charging him with offences of omission from a report, preparing and maintaining false books and records of account and the use of fraud, deceit and cunning. The second indictment was brought by the VAT authorities, charging him with offences of aiding another in issuing false invoices, and aiding another in knowingly deducting inputs tax without being in possession of relevant tax invoices.

The prosecution alleged that through Bar-Levav's mediation, one Boaz Goldbenberg sold false invoices of a company owned by him and which received services from Bar- Levav, to other customers of Bar-Levav's, where the recipients of the invoices had not been rendered any service whatsoever by Goldenberg.

In its pleadings as to sentencing, the prosecution alleged that the use of fictitious invoices had become a positive national plague which has been astoundingly injurious to the Treasury, and that Bar-Levav should accordingly receive a stiff sentence