Media Statement
Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks)

MPUMALANGA – Helga Jolene Van der Merwe (43), and Ernest Richard Bean (47), appeared in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday shortly after they were arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team for alleged fraud and money laundering.

Van der Merwe was an employee of a Middelburg based entity (Simotech) responsible for accounts until around 2017, when it was discovered that she created a fictitious creditors and also used particulars of existing creditors to make unauthorised payments amounting to over R3.8 million into her personal account and her husbands’ (Mr Bean).

The couple who are charged for theft, fraud and money laundering has been released on R50 000 bail each and the case was postponed to 8 September 2020 for a pre-trial.

End

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