Bookkeeper gets 10 years for R2.5m fraud
De Beer stole an average of R72 000 a month over three years.
A 49-year-old bookkeeper was sentenced to 10 years direct imprisonment for 44 counts of fraud by the Pretoria specialised commercial crimes Court on Wednesday.
Diane de Beer fraudulently paid herself 44 times for money that was meant for suppliers to the tune of R2.5-million.
NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said she committed all these acts during her first year of employment.
“De Beer was employed as a bookkeeper at Servopak Suppliers Pta CC from 2015. She started committing the offences in 2016. Her duties, among others, included capturing supplier invoices, loading payments on the online banking facility and supplier reconciliation with supplier statements,” said Mahanjana.
She said the accused bought herself two vehicles, namely a BMW and a Mini Cooper for her daughter.
De Beer also spent a huge chunk of the money on her daughter’s holiday in Bali, entertainment as well as clothing and groceries from large known retailers.
“She was eventually caught after suppliers demanded their payments. After internal investigations by the company, she was reported to the police and had to appear in court.
“She pleaded guilty to all the charges. She told the court that she was remorseful for the actions and further asked for a non-custodial sentence.”
De Beer stole an average of R72 000 a month over three years.
State prosecutors asked for a harsher sentence as the accused’s crimes were serious and could not be overlooked.
The magistrate also said De Beer only pleaded guilty because she realised that the state had such a strong case against her.
He further agreed with the state that De Beer had no regard for her employer, as she used her knowledge about the company to steal.
“She stopped not because of her conscience, but because she was caught. Therefore, I found that a sentence of direct imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence,” the judge said.
According to Mahanjana, the BMW will be sold at an auction after the NPA’s asset forfeiture unit obtained a confiscation order valued at R70 000 in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
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