Publications
- An Eastern Cape man was sentenced to three years' correctional supervision in a fraud case.
- He was found to have aided in defrauding Capitec Bank of R1.5 million.
- The man allegedly submitted fake loan applications to the bank.
An Eastern Cape man has been sentenced to three years' correctional supervision for his part in a R1.5 million fraud case.
Heinrich Presensie, 36, was sentenced in the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday after being charged with fraud and money laundering. He will also have to pay back more than R500 000, said Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela.
Capitec Bank in Graaff-Reinet was defrauded of R1.5 million between August 2016 and February 2017 when 13 loans were taken out at the bank.
Mgolodela said Presensie was aided by an alleged accomplice, Ashley le Roux, 36, who was allegedly responsible for manufacturing false documents used to obtain the loans.
READ | Fraudster admits conning Capitec Bank out of R1.5m with the help of a bank staffer
"Huge loans were processed for each client, and the duo would take a commission for each loan processed. It was later discovered that the accused received a huge percentage... Most of the clients were not aware of the fraudulent process," said Mgolodela.
The accused were arrested after the bank received complaints from clients who had received loan statements for money they did not receive.
"The matter was reported to the Hawks' Serious Commercial Crime Investigation [team] in Gqeberha for further handling, which led to the subsequent arrest of the accused on 12 February 2019. They appeared in court and were released on warning," said Mgolodela.
The two were aided by bank employee Zakiya Mahomed. Mahomed has since pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to five years in prison.
On 9 June 2021, Presensie pleaded guilty to all charges. He further received a five-year suspended sentence.
Le Roux opted for trial. Le Roux's matter was postponed to 8 September 2021 for a trial date.
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