Each of the fraudsters who stole R7.8 million from trusting conveyance legal companies received a seven-year jail sentence.
When Samson Olatunji Abdul and Adedayo Quadri appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialized Commercial Crimes Court on Friday, the two accused were given the penalties.
The investigation by the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit in Gauteng, according to a spokeswoman for the organisation, Lieutenant Colonel Philani Nkwalase, confirmed the duo’s involvement in the scheme.
In January 2021, he said, the two entered a plea of guilty to all counts.
“Abdul was subsequently sentenced to 12 years direct imprisonment and Quadri received seven years direct imprisonment for theft, fraud and money laundering,” he said.
On Monday of the following week, their co-accused Siphesihle Sithole, whose account is said to have been used in the commission of crime, would appear in court.
He said: “The trio were arrested in December 2019 after siphoning money from DM5 Complaining System, Yaron Waks Attorney’s and Omphile Construction Company. They were denied bail and as a resul,t they remained in custody until their sentencing on Friday.
“Shortly after his sentencing, Abdul was charged for fraud and money laundering worth approximately R18 million on another matter, where victims’ business emails were compromised and bank cards cloned. Abdul is expected to appear back in court again on Wednesday, 20 July 2022 for further probe into the recent charges,” Nkwalase said.
Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, the provincial head of the Hawks in Gauteng, praised the investigation and prosecution teams for bringing the offenders to justice.