Johannesburg - Namibian national Evan Mutale, 44, has been granted R10 000 bail by the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court. He faces charges of stealing more than R5 million from Jaira Construction and Projects, where he was employed as an accountant, responsible for managing accounts, payroll, and loading payments.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Henry Mamothame, the matter will be heard at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on April 21 for a decision on a pretrial date. The verification process discovered that Mutale is a Zambian national but has a fixed residential address as well as properties in South Africa.
“He is also confirmed to be working in the country and has no previous convictions. The accused is facing 21 charges of fraud and three alternative charges of money laundering. His court appearance comes after his arrest by the SAPS’s Provincial Commercial Crime Unit on April 12, 2023, in Rustenberg," said Mamothame.
Mamothame said it was alleged that between September 2019 and November 2020, Mutale fraudulently transferred money into an account belonging to an individual who has no links to the company but is known to him.
He said these transactions were allegedly done under the pretence of paying a service provider for services rendered to the company. In the process, he deceived his supervisor into making final authorisations for money to be transferred into his accomplice’s bank account.
“Investigations revealed that some of this money was later transferred to his bank account, which contributed to the State charging him with money laundering, and police are not ruling out the possibility of making more arrests,” added Mamothame.
The Star