Cape Town – A warrant was authorised on Thursday for the immediate arrest of a woman allegedly involved in an airline ticket scam.
Zita Plew-Chisholm, 33, of Plumstead in Cape Town, was to have gone on trial on Thursday on 162 charges of fraud involving R280 906, conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.
When her name was called by prosecutor Jacques Smith in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court, before magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg, she failed to respond.
Smith told the court the case was on the roll for plea and trial, and that the State was ready to proceed.
In fact, he had three State witnesses lined up, who were ready to testify, the prosecutor said.
Defence attorney Keith Gess said Plew-Chisholm had not been in touch with him, and her office had telephoned to say she was on her way to a medical doctor.
“I was not informed of the nature of her illness,” he told the court.
The case was rolled over to Friday for trial.
Plew-Chisholm had been arrested on January 18, 2013, and later released on warning.
According to the charge sheet, a syndicate advertised discounted airline tickets for sale, and involved a legitimate travel agency that legitimately provided discounted airline tickets.
The travel agency was known in the syndicate as a “legend”.
Only cash transactions, or bank or money market transactions were acceptable to the syndicate, and transactions could only take place by means of financial instructions.
Victims had to deposit cash into an account specified by the syndicate.
Once deposits were made and confirmed, the syndicate would order the required airline tickets electronically, but make payments with compromised bank cards.
The State alleges that Plew-Chisholm posed as a bogus travel agent.
It is alleged that she possessed three different bank accounts, two with FNB and one with Absa, into which victims were duped to make payments in the belief that they were buying legitimate discounted airline tickets for cash.
African News Agency
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