A Volkswagen South Africa employee has been found guilty of fraud and corruption and sentenced to 15 years behind bars by the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crime Court.
Embezzling millions of rands
Christo de Jager, 61, who worked as a senior manager of VWSA’s fleet of vehicles, abused his authority by being involved in a fraudulent operation that embezzled more than R12 million from VW South Africa (Pty) Limited (VWSA).
In court on Wednesday, it was revealed that de Jager approved and referred fake invoices for payment as a mastermind behind the scam.
De Jager worked at VWSA based in Kariega (previously Uitenhage).
The court found that he collaborated with Auto Trust Body Repairs, in a series of fraudulent activities over the period spanning from November 2014 to April 2021.
Fake invoices
These invoices purportedly detailed repair work on VWSA fleet vehicles, despite many vehicles either not requiring repairs, being repaired by another service provider, having not sustained any recorded damage, or related to vehicles which were not owned by VWSA.
Auto Trust, in collusion with De Jager, issued 594 false invoices totalling over R12 million.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the invoices were paid into Auto Trust’s account based on misrepresented claims of repair work.
“De Jager received illicit payments as gratifications in trenches of R5 000, R10 000 and R20 000,” said Luxolo Tyali, NPA spokesperson in the Eastern Cape.
Tyali stated that serious commercial crimes threaten the economic stability of the country hence the NPA will channel all its resources to ensure that we adopt an aggressive stance in prosecuting them.
During the trial, De Jager pleaded guilty to all charges.
Guarding against two streams of justice
“As emphasised in State v Brown, it is crucial that we guard against the danger of creating two streams of justice – one for the rich and another for the poor. This would perpetuate a miscarriage of justice, where those with means are treated more favourably than those without.
“Our justice system must remain vigilant in upholding the principle of equality before the law, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of socio-economic status, receive a fair and impartial trial,” said Regional Magistrate Lindoor.
In addition to a five-year total suspension for corruption, the court sentenced him to ten years for fraud and five years for corruption.
Lindoor said the judgment serves as a stern warning against corruption and fraudulent practices within corporate environments, emphasising the importance of ethical conduct and transparency.
