A woman convicted of defrauding the company she worked for in Sasolburg of more than R2 million, will know her fate when she reappears in court for sentencing on 1 June. The accused, Mareli Vogel (58), is to set to reappear in the Sasolburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court.
She was convicted after being found guilty on 1 116 counts of theft during the court sitting on 16 March. Vogel’s conviction is the culmination of investigations by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit.
She held the position of financial officer at her former employer.
According to the elite crime fighting wing, Vogel defrauded the company of about R2.5 million between 2014 and 2020. The Hawks launched an investigation after the unidentified company owner opened a case at the Sasolburg police station in January 2020. The outcome of the findings of both the police and the company’ internal investigation were similar.
WO Fikiswa Matoti, provincial spokesperson of the Hawks, said Vogel transferred the money from the company’s business account into her personal account. She said the business owner was notified by Absa bank on 24 December 2019 after a large amount of cash was withdrawn from his company business account.
“He had no knowledge of such a transaction. Vogel, who was the financial officer, was the only person who had access to the business’ online banking at the time,” said Matoti.
