The former finance officer's cumulative sentence is 36 years imprisonment, but the court ordered that some of them run concurrently over eight years.
A former Grey’s Hospital acting finance manager has been sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for fraud and money laundering amounting to R1.1 million.
Appearing in the Pietermaritzburg Specialised Commercial Crimes’ Court in KwaZulu-Natal recently, Charity Moloi, 43, pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud and one count of money laundering for siphoning funds from the hospital between 1 September 2020 and 9 April 2021.
Company used to launder funds
In her plea, Moloi acknowledged that her job entailed advising the cash flow committee on the availability of funds for the Pietermaritzburg healthcare facility’s operations, and not approving orders placed by the hospital.
However, she saw the opportunity to use Grace SN Projects 53 (Pty) Ltd, a company whose bank account and card she had access to, to engage in fraudulent activities by making it seem like it was a supplier.
“Moloi placed fraudulent orders for various medical-related items such as sterile gauze, paper towels, surgical wound dressings, etc. with Grace SN Projects,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said.
Forged signatures and unsuspecting directors
“She further forged the signatures of her relevant colleagues for the authorisation of the orders and the confirmation of the receipt of the goods.”
Moloi used Grace SN Projects’ bank account to receive the funds from the hospital for the orders she had fraudulently placed.
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She said in her plea that the other directors of the company were not privy to her unscrupulous dealings.
“Since she had full access to the bank account, she used the funds paid by Greys Hospital into that account for her own personal use,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
The hospital’s supply chain section discovered the fraudulent activity due to the non-delivery of the supplies, leading to her arrest.
Moloi’s sentencing
Moloi was sentenced to four years imprisonment on each of the eight counts of fraud, and four years imprisonment for money laundering.
While the cumulative sentence is 36 years imprisonment, the court ordered that some of the sentences run concurrently, resulting in the effective sentence of eight years behind bars.
“We hope that cases of this nature serve as a deterrent to like-minded individuals,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
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