Gandhi's great-granddaughter convicted to 7 years in prison in South Africa

In the role of six-million rand fraud and forgery case, Mahatma Gandhi's great-granddaughter, was sentenced to seven years in prison by a Durban court.

The court found 56-year-old Ashish Lata Ramgobin guilty of deceiving businessman SR Maharaj after he loaned her R6.2 million to clear import and Customs duties on a non-existent shipment from India. In fact, h e was guaranteed to recive a cut of the profits.

Reportedly, Lata Ramgobin, the daughter of prominent rights advocates Ela Gandhi and the late Mewa Ramgobind, was also barred leave to appeal both the verdict and the sentence by the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court.

However, Lata Ramgobin, at that time, was released on a 50,000 rand bail.

During the hearing on Monday, the court was told that Lata Ramgobin met Maharaj, the director of the New Africa Alliance Footwear Distributors, in August 2015. Further, t he firm imports, manufactures, and sells clothing, linens, and footwear. Maharaj's firm also facilitates profit-sharing financing to other companies.

Lata Ramgobin apparently informed Maharaj that she had imported three containers of linen into the country for the South African NetCare Hospital Group.

On Monday, NPA spokesman Natasha Kara stated, "She indicated she was having financial issues to pay for import expenses & customs, & she needed money to clear items at harbour."

“She said she required R6.2 million from Maharaj. To persuade him, she supplied him with what she claimed was a signed purchase order for products. Later that month, she handed him what seemed to be a NetCare invoice and delivery note as proof that the supplies had been delivered and money was on its way,” she stated.

"Furthermore, Lata Ramgobin emailed him the proof from NetCare's bank account that payment had been made," as per Kara.

In addition to this, Maharaj had signed a contract with Ramgobin for a loan based on her family's qualifications and NetCare papers.

And, after learning that the documents were forged and that NetCare had formed no arrangement with Lata Ramgobin, Maharaj filed criminal charges.

Ramgobin was the creator and executive director of the International Centre for Non-Participative Violence's Development Initiative, where she defined herself as an "activist focused on environmental, sociological, and political issues."

Other Mahatma Gandhi descendants who are human rights advocates include Lata Ramgobin's relatives Kirti Menon, the late Satish Dhupelia, and Uma Dhupelia-Mesthrie.

Notably, Ela Gandhi, Ramgobin's mother, has received international recognition for her efforts, receiving national honours from both India and South Africa.