The Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has sentenced 52-year-old Aletta Caroline Scrooby to a wholly suspended prison term after she was convicted on charges of fraud.
She was sentenced on Thursday, according to Captain Dineo Sekgotodi, Mpumalanga provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks.
“It was reported that during April 2018, Scrooby visited Scania company in Middelburg with the allegation that she was the owner of Phakamisa Logistics, which had been awarded a transport contract (tender) in one of the mines and requested for quotation for ninety G460 Scania trucks,” Sekgotodi said..
According to the Hawks, Scrooby sent fraudulent documents to Scania, pretending to have paid over R1.7 million to the company.
“She sent a fraudulent proof of payment to Scania with an amount of R1,724,885. It was then discovered that she used a VAT registration number of a known client of Scania. The money she alleged to have paid in the account of Scania never reflected,” Sekgotodi narrated.
The matter was reported to the Hawks’ Middelburg-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit for further probing.
During the investigation, Scrooby was linked to the fraud, Sekgotodi said.
“The investigation was finalised and the matter was brought before court. The accused was arrested and released on bail. She attended court on several occasions and after the investigation was concluded, the accused (Scrooby) pleaded guilty and was convicted,” she said.
Scrooby was sentenced to six years imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years on condition that she is not convicted of fraud during the period of suspension.
Meanwhile, acting provincial head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, Brigadier Gregory Gaillard has applauded the investigating team and prosecutors “for ensuring that justice prevails”.
IOL