Former Steinhoff executive sentenced in Pretoria

The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court recently sentenced former Steinhoff Group Audit Executive Hein Odendaal (67) to four years’ direct imprisonment or a fine of R2-million.

Sentencing took place on March 12.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Odendaal was also sentenced to two years’ imprisonment suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of contravening the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act during the suspension period.

“He will also have to subject himself to one year correctional supervision in terms of Section 276(1) (h) of the Criminal Procedure Act, 51 of 1977,” said NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.

Mahanjana said Odendaal was convicted and sentenced after entering into a plea and sentence agreement with the state.

“In his capacity as the Group Audit Executive, Odendaal was negligent in that he ought to have suspected that other employees within the Steinhoff group committed fraud and, therefore, did not report it to the police.”

The NPA welcomed this conviction and sentence, which marks the fourth conviction secured in the Steinhoff matter.

“This outcome demonstrates the commitment of the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations and the NPA to holding perpetrators accountable in one of the largest and most complex corporate fraud cases in South Africa’s history,” Mahanjana said.

She said the investigation and prosecution of this matter required extensive collaboration and technical expertise due to its scale and complexity.

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