[imagesource: Servopak Suppliers]

Defrauding a company of R2,5 million has landed one sorry Centurion bookkeeper in prison for 10 whole years.

49-year-old Dianne de Beer made payments from the company she worked for into her personal bank account so that she could afford a lavish life, buying cars and holidays, until she was finally caught out.

A year after being employed as a bookkeeper at Servopak Suppliers Pta CC in 2015, de Beer started committing her offences.

In between capturing supplier invoices, loading payments on the online banking facility and facilitating supplier reconciliation with supplier statements explained National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana via IOL, De Beer made a total of 44 payments, meant for suppliers, to her bank account.

The court heard how she used the money she stole to purchase a BMW for herself, a MINI Cooper for her daughter, as well as pay for her daughter’s trip to Bali.

She also apparently spent the money on clothing, groceries from large known retailers and entertainment.

The NPA said she stole an average of R72 000 a month for three years and was therefore motivated by greed.

Servopak Supplies has been enhancing air travel and tourism experiences for 49 years, and de Beer’s high-flying antics were finally sniffed out when suppliers started demanding their payments.

After an internal investigation, the matter was turned over in court:

“She pleaded guilty to all the charges and told the court that she was remorseful for the actions and further asked for a non-custodial sentence. However, the magistrate found that De Beer pleaded guilty only because the State had a strong case against her and she had no defence for the charges,” Mahanjana said.

…The magistrate 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 consciousness but because she was caught. Therefore, he found that direct imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence.

The trade-off is 10 years of prison for just under 10 years of fraud.

Her BMW 3 series bought by the proceeds of her crime will also be sold at an auction to make up for the company’s losses.

[source:iol]