Cape Town - A woman accused of defrauding the Raya Hotel Group, owners of the Capetonian Hotel in Cape Town and the Balmoral Hotel in Durban, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with multiple counts of alleged fraud and one of money laundering.
Myona Creighton, 31, was the group’s assistant accountant.
An attempt at plea negotiations with the State collapsed in September, and in Wednesday’s proceedings defence counsel Saliem Banderker requested details of the charges.
Creighton appeared in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court, before magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg, who warned her to appear in court again on November 19.
Creighton was responsible for the payment of the group’s creditors, and was based at the group’s Cape Town head office.
She had to present cheques for payment to the group’s management for signature.
Prosecutor Simon Leope alleges that she either deleted or changed the details of the payees of cheques, after payment had been authorised by management.
It is alleged that the cheques would then be made payable to fictitious persons, and the proceeds channelled into Creighton’s personal bank accounts.
To “cover her tracks”, Creighton would allegedly record the correct cheque details on a management payment schedule, but intercept and destroy bank-processed cheques as they arrived back from the bank.
Leope alleges that in this manner, Creighton eliminated evidence of her manipulation, and misappropriated the money.
He further alleges that she concealed the payments and used fictitious names to hide the true nature of the fraudulent payments.
Creighton faces 250 counts of fraud involving R10 263 813, and one charge of money laundering.
Sapa