JOHANNESBURG - Husband and wife David (55) and Beverly Brandsma (52) appeared briefly in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Thursday on allegations of corruption and money laundering to the tune of R57 million.
The couple appeared together with their alleged accomplices, Frederick Hume (45) and Jeffery Knight (54).
It is alleged the Brandsmas worked in cahoots with Hume and Knight using three entities that were contracted as suppliers of frozen goods to Boxer Superstores. They are suspected of laundering almost R57 million over a period six years, starting in 2011.
The disguised kickback arrangement carried on until the retailer’s internal auditors picked up the irregularities via a transaction.
"A case of fraud was registered at the Westville police station in August 2017. Pending investigations, the investigating team was able to attain an interim preservation order totalling R20 million," said Hawks spokesperson captain Lloyd Ramovha.
The Brandsmas were granted R50 000 bail each while Hume and Knight were each released on R75 000 bail.
The matter has been postponed to 26 August for a pre-trial hearing.