The former bookkeeper at Humansdorp veterinary clinic in the Eastern Cape was sentenced to 15 years in prison after she stole more than R4.8-million from her employer.
Lana Nell stole the millions of rands at her workplace over a period of five years.
The 46-year-old was sentenced to the lengthy prison term by the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Friday.
The court also declared that Nell was also unfit to possess a firearm.
She was arrested by members of the Hawks based in Gqeberha, for allegations of fraud, or theft, in June last year.
Creditors started complaining of late payments
Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela in the Eastern Cape said that between January 2018 and February 2023, Nell as an employee of the Veterinary Clinic working in the financial department, embezzled an exorbitant amount of cash from the employer.
“Theft was suspected when one of the suppliers complained about late payment. The matter was reported to the Hawks for probing in February 2023. Expert investigation skills of the Hawks confirmed that Nell misappropriated cash to the value of more than R4.8-million. The money was transferred to her personal account over a period of five years. Hence her arrest on June 20, 2023,” said Mgolodela.
After a series of court appearances, Nell was found guilty in March this year. She was later sentenced to a lengthy 15 years in prison on Friday.
When sentenced, Nell, who was capturing payments from creditors, broke down when the magistrate gave her 15 years of direct imprisonment.
Paid creditors from own account, kept the remaining R4m
The court heard that Nell started stealing from the company just two months after she was employed. She had paid R21-million into her own account, then later paid creditors R16-million from her own account. Thereafter she took the remaining millions and spent it. She started hopping from one town to another in Garden Route District. Having fun and sleeping at expensive accommodations. She also dined at fancy restaurants in Jeffrreys Bay, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Gqeberha.
The provincial head of the Hawks, Major General Obed Ngwenya, commended the sentence. He said he was pleased that Nell got a long prison term for stealing millions of rands from her employer.
