Two former Absa employees have been sentenced to 11 years in jail for fraud, theft and money-laundering.
This comes after the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crime Court convicted the pair on Tuesday.
While working at Absa, Florika Shenay Owusu, 31, and Abongile Tyusha, 30, participated in a fraudulent plan.
They opened Absa accounts in the names of foreign nationals, without their knowledge, and the deceased.
The pair went on to issue debit cards for these accounts to facilitate fraudulent transfers and withdrawals.
18 inactive accounts
Together, they identified and revived 18 inactive accounts, most of which belonged to foreign passport holders — including South Africans who had passed away.
The stolen money was thereafter transferred into the false accounts that Owusu and Tyusha had opened with the help of these reactivated accounts.
They were given five years in prison for fraud and theft and 10 years for money-laundering.
Of those terms, four were suspended for an additional five years, provided they did not break the Organised Crimes Act during that period.
The sentences will run concurrently, covering the fraudulent activities that took place from November 2019 to June 2021.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Owusu, who worked at the Patensie branch, and Tyusha, who was transferred to the Dutywa branch, used their access to Absa’s electronic banking system to carry out the fraudulent activities.
Over R1m was stolen
“They were entrusted with unique user codes, which the bank used to trace all transactions performed by its employees,” said NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.
“The stolen funds, totaling over R1-million, were transferred to accounts controlled by the accused and subsequently withdrawn or spent.”
Tyali stated that the stolen money was distributed across various accounts, including those in the names of deceased individuals and one account belonging to a foreign national with an expired passport.
“Absa’s internal and police investigations led to the arrest of the two who pleaded guilty during the trial.
“The NPA prioritises the prosecution of crime types and criminals that disproportionately undermine South Africans’ safety, the country’s socio-economic wellbeing, and the rule of law.”
