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- A Pretoria woman has been handed a 10-year sentence for fraud involving R2.5 million.
- She was found to have paid money intended for suppliers into her own account.
- She bought cars, went on holiday and bought clothes with the money.
A Pretoria bookkeeper has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and her luxury BMW has been seized and will be sold after she was convicted of 44 counts of fraud amounting to R2.5 million.
The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sentenced Dianne de Beer, 49, to 10 years' imprisonment on Tuesday for a series of fraudulent transactions between 2016 and 2019.
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National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said De Beer's duties included capturing supplier invoices, loading payments on the online banking facility, and supplier statement reconciliation.
She paid money meant for suppliers into her own bank account.
"With the proceeds of the crime, she bought two vehicles – a BMW for herself and a Mini Cooper for her daughter. The rest of the money was spent on her daughter's holiday in Bali, entertainment, as well as clothing and groceries from large retailers," said Mahanjana.
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The fraudulent transactions came to light after the suppliers demanded payment. After internal investigations by the company, a case was opened against De Beer.
"She pleaded guilty to all the charges and told the court that she was remorseful for the actions and further asked for a non-custodial sentence. However, the magistrate found that De Beer only pleaded guilty because the State had a strong case against her, and she had no defence for the charges," said Mahanjana.
The prosecutor told the court that De Beer pocketed an average of R72 000 a month for three years and was "motivated by greed".
The BMW would be sold at auction after the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the NPA obtained a confiscation order to the value of R70 000, said Mahanjana.
