Sentencing against Jury Sehunoe a physiotherapist operating from Rustenburg in the North West accused of defrauding the Department of Labour’s (DoL) Compensation Fund more than R5 million was today postponed to March 28 by the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court.
As Sehunoe ponders life behind bars, the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) in the Office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions added to Sehunoe’s woes when today (Tuesday) it made an application for the seizure of his assets in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. While Sehunoe awaits sentencing, the AFU will be conducting an inquiry into his asset base.
Sehunoe pleaded guilty to 15 counts of fraud and 26 counts of money laundering. He broke ranks with fellow accused last October when he pleaded guilty. He remains out on a bail of R 3000.
Sehunoe’s two co-defendants are Maxwell Ramaphosa and Samuel Mfeleng, former civil servants who previously worked for the Department of Labour’s Compensation Fund. Ramaphosa and Mfeleng are out on a bail of R3000. They are yet to plead.
In a separation of trial Ramaphosa and Mfeleng’s case has since been transferred by the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court to the Pretoria Magistrate Court.
After tendering his guilty plea, Magistrate N. Setshogoe said that she was duly convinced that Sehunoe was guilty.
Sehunoe faces a minimum of 15 years behind the bars. The fraudster was working in collaboration with alleged fellow co-accused (Ramaphosa and Mfeleng) to swindle the Department of Labour millions of rands of public funds by claiming money for treatment to patients that was never done and using schemes to siphon payments into their own accounts.
The laundered money was deposited into his driving school, maintenance/construction businesses.
The Compensation Fund is a public entity under the authority of the Department of Labour. Its duty is to insure workers against injuries and diseases sustained at work.
