A Pakistan national, pastor and bank manager have been found guilty of credit card fraudulent dealings and are awaiting their fate.
The trio – Muhammad Afzal Yaseen, Khaya Nocanda and Mandisa Ndletyana aged from 30 to 46 – were convicted in the Makhanda High Court on Tuesday. They had faced various charges relating to their roles in the criminal enterprise that resulted in ABSA Bank suffering financial prejudice of over one million rand.
Yaseen was found guilty of participating in the affairs of an enterprise, through a pattern of racketeering activity, 17 counts of trafficking in persons, 49 counts of fraud and 14 counts of theft.
The court convicted Nocanda, a pastor, on a charge of managing the operations of an enterprise in contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, as well as participating in the affairs of the enterprise through a pattern of racketeering, eight counts of fraud, four theft charges, two counts of money laundering and four of acquisition, possession or use of proceeds of unlawful activities.
Ex-bank manager involved
While Ndletyana, the former ABSA bank manager of the Middelburg branch, Eastern Cape, was found guilty of participating in the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering and three counts of fraud.
According to a statement released by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the three were part of an initial seven-member syndicate that was initially indicted on 255 counts including the fraudulent acquisition of credit cards from the Middelburg branch of ABSA bank between August 2019 to December 2019.
“Before the commencement of the trial, one of the accused passed away and a further two Pakistani nationals, who were out on bail, absconded presumably back to their country of origin,” said Luxolo Tyali, NPA spokesperson.
Tyali said, Yaseen and his accomplices secured credit cards on false and fraudulent basis in the names of third parties whom they trafficked from the Beaufort West in the Western Cape to Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape.
More than 27 victims were transported under pretences of getting employment, said Tyali.
“The victims were misled into believing that they needed to open bank accounts at the Middelburg branch of ABSA Bank into which their future salary payments would be made.
Trafficked victims
The trafficked victims were then taken to Middelburg ABSA bank, having been instructed to approach Ndletyana, who would process applications to open accounts and credit cards.
“Upon favourable outcomes of the said credit applications, limits of which ranged between R10 000 and R35 000 per person, Yaseen and members of the enterprise would take control of the cards and would proceed to empty the relevant loan accounts, by way of incremental cash withdrawals,” said Tyali.
The statement further revealed that the financial proceeds would be apportioned amongst the enterprise.
Nocanda, who managed the Middelburg leg of the enterprise, deceived members of his church into believing that he was able to assist them in improving their socio-economic circumstances.
With the assistance of Ndletyana and the other bank official, he used the same false documentation as Yaseen to secure credit cards from the same bank branch.
State Advocate Louis Sinclair led the evidence of over 30 witnesses at a trial and the court postponed the case to January 22, for sentencing proceedings.
