Family members arrested for defrauding Mbombela company

387
Family members arrested for defrauding Mbombela company
FILE: Seven family members from Mbombela are in court after the latest, Jaco Meintjies, was this week arrested and added to the case of Carol Avent. PICTURE BY TRF Radio

The members are seven in total…


A group of family members is facing 1 150 counts of fraud in the Mbombela Magistrates Court, the latest of them to be nabbed being 45-year-old Jaco Meintjies.

Meintjies was arrested by the Mpumalanga Hawks Monday 3 February 2020 in connection with R11.5 million that was allegedly taken from a private company in Mbombela.

The crime allegedly occurred between 2010 and 2016, where fake transactions were made to the family members by one of their own who was working as a bookkeeper for the company.

Mpumalanga Hawks said the main accused in the case is 46-year-Carol Avent, who worked as a bookkeeper for the unnamed company and who allegedly made the transactions to her family.

“Carol was arrested in 2016 and charged with 1 150 counts of fraud. She was subsequently released on R5000 bail and pleaded guilty in November 2019 and her case was postponed to 13 February 2020,” Hawks spokeswoman Captain Dineo Sekgotodi said.

“Hawks investigations revealed she had apparently diverted the funds to her family members’ accounts,” she said.

Family members arrested for defrauding Mbombela company
Jaco Meintjies who was this week added to the case of Carol Avent

Other family members – 50-year-old Andrea du Preez, John Avent (53) Piet Meintjies (36), Maria le Roux (49) and 31-year-old Kerry Avent were arrested alongside Carol and are back in court when the matter goes to trial in May 2020.

They all are out on bail. This week the court released Jaco Meintjies on R3000 bail.

 (edited by MLM)

Send tip-offs to editor@013.co.za