Cape Town – Hopewell Mpanduli Daguma has been found guilty of fraud, money laundering, assisting another person to benefit from the proceeds of unlawful activities and defeating the administration of justice.
The 32-year-old Daguma was convicted in the Bethlehem Regional Court. He was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, of which four years is suspended, the Hawks said in a statement on Friday.
A Standard Bank forensic investigation had discovered that one of its employees, Thandeka Mlangeni, 32, who was based at one of the bank’s Harrismith branches, allegedly issued a fraudulent bank card using another client’s details.
Mlangeni’s trial has not yet been concluded.
’’R1 million was consequently transferred to a bank account belonging to Daguma. A further R500 000 was also withdrawn from the same victim’s account,’’ the Hawks said.
A case was opened and handed over to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation in Bethlehem, which resulted in Daguma and Mlangeni being arrested on August 20 last year. They were released on R5 000 bail each.
’’After Daguma was released on bail, he went and sold the vehicle that he had bought with the stolen money for an amount of R125 000. He was rearrested and his bail was revoked,’’ the Hawks said.
IOL