BLOEMFONTEIN – The ongoing high-profile fraud case against eight accused fingered in defrauding Standard Bank and West Bank of about R7 million to purchase high-end vehicles, has resulted in the sentencing of two persons. The Bloemfontein Regional Court sentenced Simon Cornelius Botha (52) and Glen Ceasar Crouch (37) to two years’ and ten years’ imprisonment, respectively.
The sentencing on Friday 14 November was the culmination of the Bloemfontein Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team’s probe into the cars having been purchased fraudulently. The case has been ongoing since February 2020, following the arrest of nine suspects, which include an employee of the bank.
Lt Col. Zweli Mohobeleli, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said Crouch had been found guilty on 19 counts of fraud and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment, of which four years are suspended for five. Botha was found guilty on two counts of money laundering and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years. However, he will serve 36 months of correctional supervision.
The first accused convicted and sentenced was Chilleroy Floyd Buys. He was sentenced on 28 September 2022 and received a 12-year suspended prison sentence and an additional 12 months of correctional supervision. The suspended sentence is conditional on him not being found guilty of the same crime during the suspension period. The court also ordered Buys to repay the amount of R300 000 to the two banks. This was after he had pleaded guilty to the charges and agreed to reimburse the banks, paying R5 000 in monthly instalments.
The other suspects in the case included Jolene Crouch (deceased), Veronica Crouch (acquitted), Crystal Natasha Arendse, Eagen Jean-Jacques Moses, Lehlohonolo Gilbert Rousseau and Mosa Harington Tseleli.
The investigation revealed the accused had obtained fraudulent bank loans, overdrafts, and vehicle financing through the assistance of Tseleli, who was an employee of Standard Bank.
Mohobeleli said Tseleli was expected to reappear in court on 8 December ,together with Arendse (41), Moses (39) and Rousseau (46). The accused face charges of fraud, money laundering, forgery and uttering forged documents.
They allegedly colluded to defraud the two banks of more than R7 million to purchase nine high-end vehicles.
The cars include a Mercedes-Benz, a BMW 220i, a BMW 320d, a BMW X-drive and a VW Golf GTIs.
The Hawks’ investigation team arrested the nine suspects in February 2020 after uncovering evidence that the accused had defrauded the two banks and thereafter went on a shopping spree.
Further investigation discovered they had acquired an estimated R800 000 in loans.
The Hawks’ in-depth investigation revealed the accused orchestrated the scheme in 2017.
The investigation discovered that the accused had allegedly defrauded the two banks through false personal loan and vehicle finance applications.
Tseleli − still an employee of Standard Bank at the time − allegedly facilitated the process of completing applications for vehicle finance and personal loans, despite knowing that the other parties did not meet the requirements.
All the accused were released in 2020 after the state had granted each R2 000 bail, with strict conditions.
