A financial controller who caused her employer severe cash flow problems by stealing in excess of R8 million over a period of 10 years, was effectively jailed for seven years on Friday.
Jennifer Elizabeth Philander, 52, of Blackheath in Cape Town, appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Bellville, before Magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg.
According to court papers, Philander, held the post of financial controller with the company Kemklean (Pty) Ltd. The papers said she was not a qualified accountant.
The proceedings took the form of a “plea bargain”, negotiated by legal aid lawyer Harley Cloete with prosecutor Jannie Knipe.
Philander manipulated the company’s electronic system and, during the 10-year period from September 2005 to August 2015, channelled amounts totalling R8,469,666 into her own private bank account.
According to the court papers, she used the money for luxuries for herself and her family.
She pleaded guilty to charges of theft and money laundering, and in fact qualified for the prescribed sentence of 15 years for theft involving more than R500,000. However, the facts that she had already repaid R1,503,689, and had pleaded guilty, were adequate reason for the court to impose a less-severe sentence.