'Degree of guilt' mom faces jail

Published Nov 24, 2014

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Cape Town - Correctional supervision involving a short imprisonment and a suspended prison sentence were “inappropriate” punishment for a mother who embezzled R9 million, the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court heard on Monday.

Mymona Creighton, 31, mother of four, was the accountant with the Raya Hotel group, owner of the Capetonian Hotel in Cape Town and the Balmoral in Durban.

She faces a minimum of 15 years' imprisonment for fraud involving R9m.

She appeared before Magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg, who required a probation report to determine whether Creighton was the primary care giver for her children, aged between 18 and seven.

The court also needed to know if any family members were able to care for the children if Creighton were jailed.

Creighton is to be sentenced, probably on Tuesday, for 234 counts of fraud involving R9 687 677.

Prosecutor Simon Leope told the court Creighton had no defence to the charges, and that the minimum sentence was applicable.

The probation report would determine whether there were substantial and compelling circumstances justifying a less severe sentence.

Creighton, who has only a matriculation exemption certificate, started with the group 10 years ago as the assistant to the accountant, and seven years later was promoted to the post of group accountant.

She was based at the head office in Cape Town.

Creighton pleaded not guilty to the charges, and conducted her own defence.

She told the court she was “guilty to a certain degree”, and disputed the number of charges and the amount involved.

Asked how much was in fact involved, she replied: “I have no idea.”

Creighton was caught out when she presented a cheque for payment to CEO Moegamat Latief, with the name of the payee written faintly in pencil.

This triggered an investigation, which revealed that a number of cheques were missing, and that bills that should have been paid, had not.

The probation report recommended direct imprisonment, on the basis that the embezzlement happened over a prolonged period, during which Creighton had ample time to reflect on her wrongdoing and stop.

Creighton’s former brother-in-law told the court his brother had been an abusive husband and father, and that the children would not be happy living with their father.

He said the children were “very attached” to their mother, and it would break them to be separated from her.

Although his mother was willing to care for the children, this was not possible as she was aged and in any event had to move out of her current dwelling soon as it was sold.

The case continues.

Sapa

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