Fake documents to secure vehicle finance lands taxi driver in jail

A taxi driver has been remanded in custody after he used fake documents to get vehicle finance. File Photo

A taxi driver has been remanded in custody after he used fake documents to get vehicle finance. File Photo

Published Feb 3, 2021

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PRETORIA, February 03 (ANA) – A 31-year-old taxi driver, Dumisane Jan Mbokodo briefly appeared in the Polokwane Magistrates' Court on charges of fraud, uttering and forgery, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Wednesday.

“His appearance is in connection with vehicle finance fraud to the value of R450,000. It is alleged that in November 2019, Mbokodo applied for vehicle finance at the Polokwane Toyota dealership with fraudulent documents,” said Limpopo NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.

“The deal was approved by the bank and the dealership released a vehicle worth R450,000 which was delivered to him in Mpumalanga province. Mbokodo was arrested by the [Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation] Hawks' serious commercial crime investigation team on Friday 29 January 2021 in Mpumalanga after he allegedly failed to make his vehicle finance repayments.”

Malabi-Dzhangi said during Mbokodo’s appearance on Tuesday, the matter was postponed to February 9 for a formal bail application in the in Polokwane Magistrate’s Court.

Last month, a Cape Town man, Gerrit Erasmus, who tried to fleece Standard Bank through a multimillion-rand bond application, received a suspended sentence.

The 62-year-old had applied for a home loan worth R19 million from the bank in June 2019 using false credentials, including an identity document, the Hawks said at the time.

The Cape Town Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team was alerted and he was immediately arrested. He was subsequently convicted of fraud by the Cape Town Regional Court

“Following a plea agreement, the court has sentenced Erasmus to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for five years on condition that he is not found guilty of fraud and theft during the period of the suspension,” the Hawks said last week.

“Additionally, he was given three years’ correctional supervision.”

Last year, a Free State lawyer was scrapped off the roll of advocates and got a criminal record after using fake documents to apply for a magistrate position.

Ruwaidah Edith Henney was convicted and sentenced for fraud last week over an incident that occurred in April 2018.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Devereaux Morkel

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