Cape Town - The final litigation process to determine whether controversial businessman Mark Lifman will lose his businesses, or whether business rescue will save his day, will be heard next year.
The hearing for both processes in respect of Seasons Find 764 CC will now be heard in March 2020 in the Western Cape High Court. An order in this regard was granted in the Western Cape High Court on Monday.
The matter emanates from legal action instituted by SARS, who obtained warrants of execution against Lifman’s moveable properties to recover outstanding taxes amounting to R352 million.
The legal wrangle between SARS and Lifman reached boiling point on April 1 2015 when SARS obtained civil judgments and warrants of execution against his moveable property. The following day SARS executed the warrants, but on April 7 2015 Lifman launched an urgent application to have the judgments set aside.
This application was dismissed in June 2015 by Judge Babalwa Mantame.
Lifman fought back and on June 9, 2015 served notice of application for leave to appeal against the dismissal, which was set down for November 9, 2015. However this notice was withdrawn two days before the hearing.
Keith George Hendrickse, a senior manager at SARS, said in an affidavit in support of a postponement that on June 30, 2016, SARS obtained an order for a provisional order in the winding-up application of Seasons Find 764 CC.
“Mr Lifman filed a notice of intention to oppose the return day in the winding-up application and also filed the business rescue application,” he said.