Three members of the same family appeared in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court this week for allegedly defrauding a company out of millions of rands.
The accused, Nicole Robyn April (35), a former bookkeeper at Lifttech Lift and Hoist Services, Kayla Catherine Amos (31) and Robert Gabriel Amos (57) briefly appeared on Thursday 4 December and is expected to reappear in the Parow Regional Court on 4 February next year after being granted bail of R20 000 each, along with stringent bail conditions.
The trio are charged with fraud, theft, and money laundering, says Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani, spokesperson for the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation who apprehended the suspects.
The alleged fraud and theft occurred between 2019 and 2022, and discrepancies were identified during the audit. The matter was referred to the Hawks for further investigation, Hani says.
“It is alleged that April as a bookkeeper had access and control of the company’s bank accounts. Investigations revealed that during the said period she siphoned approximately R5 million from the bank account of the company to her personal bank account, from her account to the account of her sister and her father. The funds were used for personal gain,” Hani says.
Further investigations showed that she disguised the purpose of the funds transfers by making false entries on the banking records. Furthermore, without authorisation, gave herself a salary increase amounting to R138 000 over the period, and fraudulently applied for a petrol card, Hani explains.
As a result of their actions, the company was prejudiced in the amount of R5 million, Hani says.
Lifttech Lift and Hoist Services, based in Link Circle in Montague Gardens, Cape Town, services and upgrades all makes of passenger elevators and goods hoists.
