Former Chief Financial Officer at Mantsopa Municipality found guilty of fraud
Former Chief Financial Officer at Mantsopa Municipality in Ladybrand Claudia Tsokoliso Seitleko (39) was found guilty on several counts of fraud and theft worth R829 908.
Seitleko appeared at Ficksburg Magistrates Court on Wednesday where she was convicted on 23 counts of fraud, two counts of theft as prescribed in the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA).
Seitleko was served with the court summons on 17 May 2018 following the investigation by the Hawks into unlawful payment of two persons, one being her sister and a friend. These undue payments were discovered in December 2016 and were carried out over a period between June 2014 until December 2016. Personal details of former employees were used whilst the banking details belonged to Seitleko’s accomplices.
Further investigations by the Hawks directly linked Seitleko to the processing those to the system revealed more fraudulent financial records purporting be payments of certain entities, such as Provident Fund, Best Funeral Society which were also undue payments to the banking details of the same accomplices.
Both her accomplices Claurina Sane (39) and Ntoaleng Elizabeth Seithleko (48) were convicted on 14 and 15 charges of money laundering respectively on 30 January 2019 and were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, wholly suspended for 5 years.
The case against Seitleko was remanded to the 20 August 2020 for sentencing and a confiscation order in terms of Section 18 of POCA Act was also granted by the court.
Enquiries:
Warrant Officer Lynda Steyn
Cell: 082 465 5910
