R11m fraud case withdrawn - because victim is ill
Two Cape Town women have escaped trial in a fraud case involving R11.1 million, because their alleged victim is too ill to testify.
|||Cape Town – Multiple fraud charges involving millions of rands against two women, have been withdrawn because failing health prevented the elderly victim from testifying in a Cape Town court.
Anna Magdalena Burrows, 48, of Sandrift in Cape Town, and Hester Charlotte Lukin, 50, of Bothasig in Cape Town, appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court, before magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg this week.
Both worked for the company Harvan Developments CC, owned by Harold Saacks – Burrows as the secretary, and Lukin as personal assistant to Saacks and office manager.
The pair faced 287 fraud charges, involving R11,1 million.
Prosecutor Derek Vogel told the court that he was compelled to withdraw the charges as Saacks, the State’s key witness, was unable to testify for health reasons.
The magistrate informed the two women that they were free to go – but not without first admonishing them for their failure to thank the prosecutor for their good fortune.
She said: “I didn’t even hear a thank you for the prosecutor.”
Both women then said thank you.
The magistrate added: “You know in your hearts what you did wrong, but you are now getting an opportunity to correct your lives.
“You are being given another chance in life, and I urge you both to make use of it,” Sonnenberg said. “Do not come back to this court as an accused again.”
According to the charge sheet, the women were responsible for the day-to-day administration of the company, and also attended to Saacks’ personal banking affairs.
Burrows was responsible for the issue of cheques, as payment of company expenses, and presented the cheques to Saacks for signature. Lukin, on receipt of signed cheques from Burrows, was responsible for the banking.
It was alleged that after receiving cheques signed by Saacks, the women increased the amounts, and deliberately failed to endorse such cheques as crossed or “not transferable”.
This enabled them to channel the cheques into their own bank accounts.
It was alleged that they “covered their tracks”, by disguising the resulting shortfalls, and not only presented Saacks with false bank statements, but also management reports with false balances.
African News Agency
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