Two people were issued with fines and suspended sentences after they pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and money laundering in the Kimberley Regional Court.
TWO ACCUSED persons were issued with fines and suspended sentences after they pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and money laundering in the Kimberley Regional Court on February 13.
The accused Arnold Rooifontein, 35, was sentenced to a fine of R100,000 or alternatively a five-year term of imprisonment for fraud.
Hawks provincial spokesperson Captain Tebogo Thebe said Rooifontein was handed an additional five-year sentence, wholly suspended for five years on condition that he is not found guilty of a similar offence during the suspension period.
His co-accused, Elwin Enrico Julies, 41, was sentenced to a fine of R100,000 or five years imprisonment for fraud and money laundering.
Thebe said that Julies received an additional sentence of five years imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years on condition that the accused not be found guilty of fraud or money laundering during the suspension period.
Thebe explained that the charges related to vehicle parts that were procured as buy-outs from Eagle Motor Spares during November 2012 and December 2013.
“A satellite office of AutoZone that was managed by an employee of the company was accommodated on the premises of the Kimberley SAPS garage. All vehicle body parts orders as requested by the SAPS were captured on site.”
He said the spare parts were procured and paid for by an AutoZone employee and delivered to Eagle Motor Spares to the SAPS garage.
“During the end of 2013, AutoZone queried the SAPS for non-payment of vehicle body parts which were ordered and delivered. An internal investigation by AutoZone revealed that an amount of approximately R1.3 million was still outstanding on the goods delivered to the SAPS.”
Thebe said the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team was requested to investigate, where it was found that the employee from AutoZone and the owner of Eagle Motor Spares colluded to defraud AutoZone.
“The Hawks seized two vehicles from the suspects in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, which were later sold at an auction for R135,592. The money was deposited into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account fund. The accused made a series of court appearances until their sentence.”
Thebe added that both accused were found unfit to possess a firearm.
