Mother and son in court for R1 million fraud

Orrin Stander and his mother Petronella are appearing in court after they were arrested for allegedly defrauding R1 million from a Randburg-based company. Photo: Supplied/Hawks

Orrin Stander and his mother Petronella are appearing in court after they were arrested for allegedly defrauding R1 million from a Randburg-based company. Photo: Supplied/Hawks

Published May 10, 2022

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Pretoria – A 52-year-old mother and her 33-year-old son are expected back in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court this morning on fraud and theft charges.

According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu, between 2016 and 2020, the mother, Petronella Stander, allegedly swindled approximately R1 million in numerous transactions meant for suppliers into her bank account from her former employer.

The money was diverted from her employer, OPTO Africa (Pty) Ltd, a Randburg-based industrial automation software and weighbridge installation company’s business account.

“In April last year, the investigation team arrested and charged Stander with fraud and theft. The court later released her on R10 000 bail,” said Mulamu.

Orrin Stander and her mother Petronella are appearing in court after they were arrested for allegedly defrauding R1 million from a Randburg-based company. Photo: Supplied/Hawks

“A warrant of arrest was issued against Stander’s son, Orrin Stander. The Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation in Johannesburg arrested Orrin on Wednesday, 4 May, accompanied by his attorney.”

During Orrin’s court appearance the following day, the court granted him a R3 000 bail.

Both mother and son are today scheduled to appear in court.

In another case, the Hawks in Gauteng said two more people, allegedly behind a scam that involved unauthorised debit order transactions where bank clients lost about R18 million, collectively have appeared in court.

Ravenda Singh, 50, and his son Andrew, 26, directors of a Durban-based call-centre, Sub User, were nabbed on Wednesday last week in Joburg.

“The duo handed themselves in at the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation in Johannesburg and were subsequently charged with fraud. On the same day, the pair appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court and were each granted R30 000 bail,” said Mulamu.

She said the suspects were linked through a forensic investigation carried out by the banks, which discovered undue debit orders through the suspects’ call-centre companies.

“The accused allegedly created a fraudulent bank payment system to collect debit orders for call centres, which resulted in unauthorised debit orders. Numerous clients from several banks countrywide reportedly lost their hard-earned cash through the R99 debit order withdrawn fraudulently between November 2018 and February 2019,” Mulamu said.

The case against the Singh senior and son was postponed to May 27, where they will be joining their co-accused, Jason Foster, 39, and Richard Marsden, 51. Foster and Marsden previously appeared in court and were released on R30 000 and R100 000 bail, respectively.

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