A FORMER Richards Bay church treasurer pleaded guilty to 26 counts of theft in the Richards Bay Magistrate’s Court on Monday and will be sentenced on 29 September.
David Veersamy Naidoo (47), charged in September 2016 after defrauding church congregation members who paid for a trip to Israel, has been out on bail of R10 000.
Naidoo, treasurer at the Living Stones Baptist Church in Brackenham at the time, organised the proposed trip at a cost of R16 500 per person, but failed to refund the members when the trip failed to materialise.
According to the charge sheet, the total amount was about R632 500.
Congregation members deposited payments into the church account as well into an account of one of this relatives and it is believed he wrote cheques from the church account, had them signed and then cashed them in.
When members discovered that the trip’s flights and accommodation had not been booked, they demanded refunds, but only R161 000 was returned.
ALSO READ: Bail for accused church treasurer
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