Former VWSA employee sentenced to five years in jail for fraud

A 61-year-old former Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA) employee has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for fraud.

Christo de Jager appeared in the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday, where sentence was handed down.

The court sentenced De Jager to five years for fraud and 10 years for corruption, with the latter wholly suspended for five years.

Fraud

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said De Jager, a former fleet administrator at VWSA in Kariega (previously Uitenhage), was sentenced for his role in a fraud scheme that siphoned over R12 million from the company.

“He was the facilitator of the fraud and used his position to approve and refer fraudulent invoices for payment, abusing the trust placed in him as a senior employee responsible for managing VWSA’s fleet of vehicles.”

During the trial, De Jager pleaded guilty to all charges.

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Rich and poor

Regional Magistrate Lionel Lindoor said the court acknowledged the substantial financial harm caused to VWSA due to De Jager’s fraudulent actions.

“As emphasised in State v Brown, it is crucial that we guard against the danger of creating two streams of justice – one for the rich and another for the poor. This would perpetuate a miscarriage of justice, where those with means are treated more favourably than those without.

“Our justice system must remain vigilant in upholding the principle of equality before the law, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of socio-economic status, receive a fair and impartial trial,” said Lindoor as he handed down the sentence.

Collaboration

During the trial, the court heard how De Jager collaborated with Auto Trust Body Repairs, in a series of fraudulent activities over the period spanning from November 2014 to April 2021.

The invoice purportedly detailed repair work on VWSA fleet vehicles, despite many vehicles either not requiring repairs, being repaired by another service provider, having not sustained any recorded damage, or related to vehicles which were not owned by VWSA.

Auto Trust, in collusion with De Jager, issued 594 false invoices totalling over R12 million. These invoices were paid into Auto Trust’s account based on misrepresented claims of repair work. 

The court heard de Jager received “illicit payments as gratifications” in trenches of R5 000, R10 000 and R20 000. 

“Internal and police investigations played a crucial role in uncovering the fraud. Advocate Siphamandla Ngxokolo’s diligent work was instrumental in the prosecution-guided investigations,” Tyali said.

Warning

Tyali added that the judgment serves as a stern warning against corruption and fraudulent practices within corporate environments, emphasising the importance of ethical conduct and transparency.

“Serious commercial crimes threaten the economic stability of the country hence the NPA will channel all its resources to ensure that we adopt an aggressive stance in prosecuting them,” Tyali said.

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