Seshego woman sentenced for fraud over R200 000
The 47-year-old woman was linked to a scam that saw many victims cheated out of their hard-earned money.
POLOKWANE – The National Prosecuting Authority has welcomed the sentence handed down to Gladys Tsakane Mpipi (47) who was found guilty on two counts of fraud.
The fraud amounted to R236 440 and the accused, who is from Seshego, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
According to Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, the Limpopo regional spokesperson, the woman was arrested during an operation called “faka mali”.
Malabi-Dzhangi explained how Mpipi used to be a cook in Nirvana and was befriended by a Nigerian man, known to her as ‘boss’, in 2017. The Nigerian man apparently promised to open a business with her and encouraged her to open a bank account on behalf of the ‘company’.
This account was later used to launder money from several victims, and was shared among him and Mpipi.
“During the trial, the state submitted the bank statements of the accused to the court, which reflected large cash withdrawals that were made and endless card purchases made around Polokwane. The prosecution argued for a custodial sentence which the court endorsed by sending the accused to jail for five years,” she added.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Ivy Thenga, commended the good work of the SAPS Task Team of the National Anti-Fraud Unit. “This sentence should be an eye opener to those who like to break the rules by opening bank accounts for unqualified people.”
Read more about this court case in this week’s Polokwane Observer.
