A woman who tried to defraud a company out of more than R1.7 million was given a suspended sentence in Middelburg’s commercial crime court on Thursday.
Aletta Caroline Scrooby (52) earlier pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
She was sentenced to six years in prison on Thursday, which was suspended for five years on the condition that she not be found guilty of the same offence.
Scrooby has been in and out of court for years after defrauding a company from Middelburg in 2018.
Capt. Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, spokeswoman for the Hawks, says Scrooby visited the truck company Scania in April 2018. She argued that she was the owner of Phakamisa Logistics and that she had landed a contract with a mine, which required her to need many of Scania’s G460 vehicles.
“She sent a forged proof of payment to Scania for an amount of R1 724 885,” says Sekgotodi.
However, it came to light that Scrooby used a VAT number belonging to a Scania customer and that the money that was supposedly transferred never appeared in Scania’s bank account.
The incident was reported to the Falcons and the serious commercial crime unit in Middelburg investigated the matter.
“During the investigation, the accused was identified and linked to the fraud.”
Scrooby was arrested and later released on bail, after which the case against her took years to complete.
Brig. Gregory Gaillard, acting provincial head of the Falcons, thanked the investigation team for their work which ensured that justice was done.
