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Who Is Ashish Lata Ramgobin, Mahatma Gandhi's Descendant, Jailed For Forgery?
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In a targeted post about US President Donald Trump, Hans Zimmer reflected on the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi.
It has been exactly four years since Ashish Lata Ramgobin, the great-granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, was sentenced to seven years in jail. She was found guilty in a Rs 3.22 crore fraud and forgery case by the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court. While it has been a long time since the trial took place, the case has once again resurfaced online, grabbing unexpected attention because of Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. But where's the catch?
Zimmer recently took to his Instagram stories and launched a scathing remark on US President Donald Trump. Claiming that the Trump administration is likely to plant violent participants during peaceful protests, Zimmer urged the protesters to follow non-violent methods and sit down on the ground. In the post, the music producer made reference to Gandhi, urging protestors to demonstrate non-violence and maintain peace despite the President's attempts to hamper the situation.
In line with this post, the story of Mahatma Gandhi's great-granddaughter has been making headlines.
The Case Of Mahatma Gandhi's Great-Granddaughter
Daughter of noted human rights activist Ela Gandhi and late Mewa Ramgovind, Lata Ramgobin was accused of duping a businessman named SR Maharaj, who provided her with an advance of Rs 3.22 million for allegedly clearing import and customs duties for a non-existent consignment from India. He was also promised to share the profits.
It was informed that Lata Ramgobin met Maharaj, the director of New Africa Alliance Footwear Distributors, in August 2015. His company was engaged in importing, manufacturing, and selling clothing, linen, and footwear, further also providing finance to other companies on a profit share basis.
After the trial began in 2015, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) stated that Lata forged the invoice and the documents to convince potential investors about three containers of linens being shipped from India. Speaking on the case, NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara told PTI that Lata was experiencing financial difficulties in paying for import costs and customs, and she needed the money to clear the goods and the harbour.
'She advised him (Maharaj) that she needed the money. To convince him, she showed him what she claimed was a signed purchase order for the goods. Later that month, she sent time what seemed to be a NetCare invoice and delivery note as proof that the goods were delivered and payment was imminent," she added, further stating that Lata had just sent him a payment confirmation leading to an agreement for a loan; however, Maharaj ended up filing criminal charges after he found a document were fake and NetCare had no arrangements with her.
During the hearing, Lata was also refused permission to appeal both the conviction and the sentence by the court.
Lata Ramgobin was the founder and executive director of the Participative Development Initiative at the NGO International Centre for Non-Violence and was like many other descendants of Gandhi who are also human rights activists. Her mother, Ela Gandhi, was particularly recognised internationally and had received national honours from both India and South Africa.
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