Date set for army fraud trial
A new date has been set for the trial of a senior South African National Defence Force administration clerk and her co-accused.
Zelda Wolmarans (44), of Clubview, and Shona Heydenrych (54), of Valhalla, are facing charges in the Pretoria specialised commercial crimes court of defrauding the SANDF of more than R1.1 million.
After failing in their bid to reach a plea bargain deal with the State, the two women will have to stand trial, which is set to start on June 28.
Wolmarans was arrested in April last year.
Her two children, Chrizelle and Pieter Jacobus Stephanus van Vuuren, and her three stepchildren, Dirk Jacobus, Maria Fransina and Christina Johanna, all Wolmarans, were arrested later that same day.
Wolmarans was appointed by the SANDF in August 1993 and was responsible for collecting information on reserve force members being called up for courses or training sessions, and ensuring that they were compensated via the Department of Defence’s salary system.
Investigators allegedly found that Wolmarans falsified information, pretending that part-time reserve force members had been called up for courses and training.
The salary system then paid these allegedly fictitious trainees for their services. Wolmarans allegedly used her own banking details and those of her children and stepchildren when she listed those who had paid for taking courses, thus ensuring the money was directed to their accounts.
It is alleged that they and Wolmarans had a common purpose to defraud the SANDF. Alternatively, it was alleged that the children received “affected” gifts from Wolmarans.
Charges were withdrawn against all except Wolmarans and Heydenrych in April.
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20 Juin 2007 à 15:39 dans
- zsandf (anglais)
