In a shocking turn of events, Karl Dickson, the CEO of Pavel and Construction Company, who is originally from Germany by birth and a naturalized citizen of the United States residing in Colorado Denver, was arrested in Johannesburg, South Africa. Karl traveled to South Africa for a World Health Organization project involving the construction of a new hospital and warehouse facility valued at over $4,500,000 million US dollars.
In an interview, Karl claimed that his inability to pay the government taxes was due to complications accessing his bank account caused by a change in his IP location during login attempts, resulting in his account being blocked by the bank’s security department.
Karl was apprehended at the O.R. Tambo International Airport on the 10th of October in 2022 while attempting to depart for the United States. He faces charges of tax evasion after allegedly attempting to leave the country without settling his tax obligations to the South African government following the completion of the project.
As a result of the tax evasion charges, Karl was sentenced to over 2 years in jail in October 2022 but has been granted bail on the condition that he settles his tax liabilities with the South African government before being permitted to leave the country.
This development has sent shockwaves through the construction industry and raised questions about financial transparency and compliance among international contractors operating in South Africa. Stay tuned for further updates on this unfolding story.
