Accountant fails to repay R1.2m, skips court

File Photo: Clyde Robinson

File Photo: Clyde Robinson

Published May 3, 2016

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Cape Town – A warrant has been authorised for the immediate arrest of an accountant who not only failed to repay more than one million rand he embezzled from his former employer, but also failed to appear in a court in Cape Town on Tuesday.

In October last year, Abraham van der Linde, 38, pleaded guilty to 41 counts of fraud and one of money laundering.

On the fraud charges, he was given a 10-year prison sentence, suspended for five years on condition he repaid the R1 281 842 he embezzled, in four monthly installments ending in April this year.

He was also sentenced to three years’ house arrest, which included cleaning and maintenance at the Parow police station in Cape Town’s northern suburbs.

The proceedings last year took the form of a plea bargain in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court, before magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg.

According to an affidavit filed by Donald Swanepoel, the managing director of the advertising company that had engaged Van der Linde as the company accountant, Van der Linde had failed to make the first repayment of R701 842.

Van der Linde was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday when the prosecutor, senior State advocate Jacques Smith, was to launch an application to have the suspended prison sentence put into operation.

The application was to be based on Van der Linde’s failure to comply with the condition of his suspended prison sentence.

However, he was absent when his name was called and defence advocate Gilbert Jose told the court that Van der Linde had not answered his calls.

Jose added: “I have no instructions as to the whereabouts of my client, or the reason for his absence.”

Jose said he had sent Van der Linde an SMS late last month, in preparation for the proceedings, and Van der Linde had received the message according to Jose’s mobile phone.

Van der Linde had not made contact with him, Jose added.

In addition to the 10-year suspended prison sentence for fraud, Van der Linde was also sentenced to five years imprisonment, also suspended for five years, on the money laundering charge.

African News Agency

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