Pay back the money: Court orders former employee to pay back R1.7m

Karina Nieuwoudt (40), former employee who ripped off her former employer over R1.7-million has been found guilty on charges of fraud theft, uttering and money laundering by the Kroonstad Commercial Crimes Court.

The accused has been involved in a modus operandi since 2017 and 2019, where she bankrupted her then employer without being detected.

Hawks spokesperson captain Christopher Singo says, the victim [the employer], appointed an auditor to investigate the financial statements on his business.

“A preliminary investigation discovered that Nieuwoudt fraudulently paid an amount of more than R1 million into her own personal bank account from the company’s bank account,” Singo elaborates.

The convict, was working as a debit and credit clerk at the time of the incident.

Singo says the matter was reported to the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team based in Bethlehem for further investigation.

on Wednesday, October 12, she she pleaded guilty for all charges underpinned, and the court sentenced Nieuwoudt to seven years imprisonment on the charges of fraud and three years imprisonment on the charges of uttering.

“Both the charges were suspended for five years on condition that she repays back the amount of R1.7 million back to the victim on a monthly instalment of R15900 until the whole amount is fully paid,” detailed Singo.