Those who admitted to their involvement in the VAT scam should be jailed and have the proceeds of their fraud confiscated in terms of the Money Laundering Act, the Attorney General argued in an appeal submission against the punishments handed down so far.

In his appeals on each of the seven judgments in connection with the VAT fraud case, filed on Thursday, the AG argued that the court should have issued such an order in the first place.

The seven men, who have admitted their involvement in the VAT scandal, were given suspended sentences, fines up to €700 and a perpetual general interdiction which, according to some senior legal experts, only means they cannot work with the government or ever hold public office.

In fact, the sentences were criticised by many who argued that the court ruling sent the wrong message.

The AG echoed their concerns in his appeal. "The court needs to send out the message that corruption or attempting to corrupt (a public official) will not be tolerated or in any way condoned."

Through the scam, businessmen who owed money to the VAT Department paid off certain employees for the amounts to be reduced.

The Attorney General asked the Court of Criminal Appeal to impose tougher punishments for the people involved. He insisted that the punishment handed down "did not reflect the seriousness of the crimes and the circumstances that led to them".

The application of suspended jail terms in this case "went against the spirit and will of the legislator" and was also "counterproductive in the context of what took place within the VAT Department", he argued, adding that only an effective jail term was a deterrent against such crimes happening again.

Moreover, he argued that the damage done to the VAT Department should not only have been seen from the monetary point of view but the court should also consider the "incalculable damage to the trust the public has in public institutions".

According to the Money Laundering Act, the court is bound to confiscate the convicted person's assets, including "any economic advantage and any property derived from or obtained, directly or indirectly, through criminal activity".