'I don't know how R25m got into my bank account'

File image

File image

Published Feb 27, 2017

Share

Rustenburg – A man accused of defrauding a company of more that R25 million was not aware how the money came to be deposited into his bank account, the North West High Court heard on Monday.

"I was not aware of any transaction," Brian Dennis Viljoen said at the high court sitting in Rustenburg.

He told the court that his life partner Sharon Boyce managed his bank accounts and as such he was not aware of transactions in his bank accounts.

Viljoen, 57, is charged together with Hilton Robert Boyce, 40, the son of Sharon Boyce. They are facing charges of fraud and money laundering.

The State alleges that the two defrauded Eagles Rock Feed Mill of R25 478 378.04 between 2011 and 2014.

The State charged that Sharon Boyce was employed as a creditors clerk at Eagles Rock Feed Mill in Boschfontein near Rustenburg, and with the help of her son Hilton Boyce, she prepared and submitted fictitious invoices and substituted existing suppliers' bank details with that of Viljoen and her son.

She paid the money into three bank accounts held by the accused, that she managed. The two allegedly received large amounts of money in this manner without being suppliers to Eagle Rock Feed Mill.

The fraud was discovered in September 2014, after Sharon died of unnatural causes.

The company discovered that between May 20, 2011 and September 10, 2014 she created fictitious invoices and included her son and life partner as suppliers.

Testifying in court, Viljoen said he signed power of attorney to Sharon to control his bank accounts as he did not know how computers work and Sharon had knowledge of computers.

He denied knowing anything about activities in his bank accounts, and added that he never asked Sharon about the money and each time he enquired about bank accounts, Sharon would harshly reprimand him like a child.

He said he was under the impression that the money they used to renovate their house and buy properties was from the insurance that paid out after Sharon's husband died.

The case was postponed to Tuesday.

African News Agency

Related Topics: