Johannesburg - Employees of a company are alleged to have stolen and laundered approximately R3 billion from its account into their personal accounts.
The seven accused made their first appearance in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday on charges of theft, fraud and money laundering.
According to the Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer Bonnie Nxumalo, Michel Marten (62), Manyanca Vanessa Marten (47), Dirk Auverne Vorster (42), Adele Babs Vorster (41), Mahendra Bennideen (37), Dannisha Bennideen (37), and Ritesh Maharaj (41), are the three couples and an individual who worked at the chain company, Northern Spark Refinery (Pty) Ltd, Northern Spark Security (Pty) Ltd, and Northern Spark Investment (Pty) Ltd.
The Hawks said that Vorster, Marten, and Bennideen worked as the finance officers.
"It is re-counted that the above three accused stole and laundered the company’s money worth approximately R3 billion from the corporation’s account into their personal accounts, spouses' accounts, and into other companies' accounts that were not in business with Northern Spark (Pty) Ltd from the year 2016 until 2021," said the Hawks.
According to Nxumalo, the company conducted an internal investigation and later opened a case where the matter was transferred to the Johannesburg-based Hawks' Serious Commercial Crime Investigation in February 2022 for further analysis.
"Further exploration into the enquiry revealed that the money was stolen, laundered and shared among the accused for personal enrichment. A warrant of arrest was issued where the couples were arrested at their residential places, Bennideen’s in Randburg, Marten’s in Heidelberg, Vorster’s in Balfour and Maharaj in Bedfordview on Saturday, October 22," said Nxumalo.
Nxumalo added that the accused all appeared in court simultaneously where their case was postponed to Thursday, October 27 for a formal bail application. The funds have not been recovered.
The Hawks' provincial head, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, applauded the investigation team for their meticulous investigation in this case.
"It is unfortunate that these employees abused their positions for self-enrichment," said Kadwa.
The Star