Wentzel was a former colonel and cluster head of the detective branch for Kimberley, Modderrivier, Douglas, Griekwastad and Plooysburg.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Northern Cape has welcomed the verdict handed to a former police officer, Avril Christopher Wentzel after he pleaded guilty to 19 counts of fraud in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court.
Wentzel was a former colonel and cluster head of the detective branch for Kimberley, Modderrivier, Douglas, Griekwastad and Plooysburg.
NPA provincial spokesperson, Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the accused admitted to have claimed incentives for unofficial trips.
The job of the accused required a lot of travelling and he was allowed to claim for official trips when conducting his duties in the towns in his jurisdiction when utilizing his private vehicle. In his plea, the accused admitted to having claimed incentives for unofficial trips on several occasions. In one of the trips, he submitted a claim of R1633.64 for a private trip that he took to Douglas and told his employer that he had attended a case and also visited a police station.
“In another incident, the accused falsified a claim that he had taken an official trip from Kimberley to Griekwastad, Campbell, and Douglas using his private vehicle and he claimed an amount of R2520.30,” said Senokoatstane.
He said the offences were committed from April 2014 until December 2014.
Senokoatsane said the sentence will hinder future possible offenders.
“The accused has been sentenced to a fine of R30 000 or 12 months imprisonment and a further 5 years imprisonment suspended for five years on the condition that the accused is not found guilty during the time of suspension. He is also declared unfit to possess a firearm,” he said.
