A woman who worked as a finance clerk at a large firm has been given an effective sentence of 12 years in prison in the Durban Commercial Crimes Court due to R8-million fraud, that was committed over an 8-year period.
The 41-year old Yolandie Bartlett also surrendered her pension of R325 000.
The court heard that Bartlett created fictitious payments and deposited the money in various bank accounts that she opened herself. She was found out in 2019 when she paid a fictitious bursary.
The company pays all their bursaries on a given date and this payment was made at another time, which led to a forensic investigation.
National Prosecution Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara says Bartlett decided to plead guilty during the course of her trial.
“Bartlett worked for Grindrod South Africa as a finance clerk and she committed the offenses between May 2011 and May 2019. In defrauding the company, she would create and process fictitious payments. The monies were deposited in her personal bank accounts, using 4 different bank accounts. The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the successful prosecution and commends the investigative efforts that led to this,” says Ramkisson-Kara.
