FORMER finance officer for the KwaZulu-Natal Blind and Deaf Society, Ruvanya Ramiah (31), and her partner, Ayush Rambally (32), have been sentenced to 15 years and 10 years imprisonment respectively.
The pair were tried at the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court where they pleaded guilty to fraud and theft in June last year.
Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), confirmed that Ramiah pleaded guilty to 354 counts of fraud, amounting to over R12.6m, while Rambally pleaded guilty to 79 counts of theft, amounting to approximately R1.7m.
“In her plea, Ramiah stated that she was employed as a finance officer at the KwaZulu-Natal Blind and Deaf Society from March 2012 to February 2019. Her duties included salary payments and general payments, and she had access to and control of the Society’s banking accounts. She said she committed the fraud by paying herself inflated salaries, twice and sometimes more times in the same month. She also created false payments to suppliers and fabricated evidence to support those payments. The money went into her bank account and that of her husband,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
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Rambally was neither an employee nor a creditor of the Society.
“He admitted to being aware that his actions were unlawful and that he intended to permanently deprive the society of the funds, which he would use for his and his wife’s purposes,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
Impact on the Society
The case had a far-reaching impact on the Society which suffered a loss of funding, resulting in 15 staff retrenchments.
“Senior State Advocate Andre Carlitz led the evidence of Veetha Sewkuran, the president of the Society. Sewkuran said that once news of the fraud had gotten out, funders and companies withdrew their funding and association with the Society. She said that the lack of funds resulted in them retrenching 15 staff members who then took the Society to the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), thus causing the Society further financial problems,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
“In handing down the sentences, the court found that the couple did not show remorse and pleaded guilty due to the overwhelming evidence against them. The court concluded that their motive was greed and not need as they were receiving an income, and Ramiah held a full-time job,” concluded Ramkisson-Kara.
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*In a statement, Sewkuran noted the sentencing, saying it brought an end to a ‘painful period’ for the Society.
“The KZNBDS wishes to express its appreciation to the South African Police Service, the National Prosecuting Authority, independent auditors and members of the public who ensured that justice was aptly served in this matter. The reprehensible conduct of the two individuals seriously impacted the operations of the Society and the delivery of services to its blind, deaf, and deafblind clients,” said Sewkuran.
Sewkuran added that the Society had enhanced governance within the organisation since detecting the theft in 2019 .
“This included, amongst others; an organisational restructuring, thorough revision of its policies, procedures, internal control mechanisms, and the recruitment of appropriately experienced new members who can advise and guide the Society in its operations,” she said.
*This article was updated at 13:00 to include comments from the Society.
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