Pretoria - The Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has released an alleged fraudster on R3 000 bail, after he was arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation [Hawks].
“It is alleged that in May 2016, a Pietermaritzburg based software programmer, Bryan Page, 32, lured a transportation businessman in Edenvale to invest in a logistic contract with his MAN trucks to transport goods in the country with an agreed profit return,” said Gauteng spokesperson for the Hawks, Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu.
Page allegedly sold both the MAN trucks, worth approximately R380 000 without the Edenvale business’ consent and spent the money for personal use.
“The matter was referred to the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team in Germiston for further investigation. A warrant of arrest was issued for Page’s apprehension. The investigation team successfully traced Page in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province,” said Mulamu.
“Page handed himself in at the Germiston [Hawks] office on Monday accompanied by his legal representative. He was subsequently charged with fraud and made his first court appearance on the same day.”
After granting Page bail, the court postponed the matter to 9 November for docket disclosure.
Earlier this month, the Hawks in Gauteng said a 54-year-old man appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court charged with fraud of about R2.2 million.
“It is alleged that Christiaan Frederick van Wyk created fraudulent payment transactions between 2012 and 2018 when he was working at a Melrose based company, PEG Holdings, as a secretary and financial manager,” said Mulamu.
She said the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team in Johannesburg received the matter for investigation into the allegations against Van Wyk.
“Further investigation revealed that Van Wyk transferred approximately R2.2 million on different transactions into his bank accounts for the period,” said Mulamu.
IOL