Pretoria - An accountant accused of allegedly stealing over R5 million from his employer appeared briefly in the Rustenburg Magistrate's Court where he was released on R10 000 bail on Wednesday.
Evan Mutale, 44, is facing 21 charges of fraud and three alternative charges of money laundering.
NPA spokesperson in North West division, Henry Mamothame, said Mutale is a Zambian national but has a fixed residential address as well as properties in South Africa.
“He is also confirmed to be working in the country and has no previous convictions,” he said.
Mutale was employed at Jaira Constructions and Projects, where he worked as an accountant, responsible for managing accounts, payroll, and loading payments.
“It is alleged that between September 2019 and November 2020, Mutale fraudulently transferred money into an account belonging to an individual who has no links to the company but is known to him.
“These transactions were allegedly done under the pretence of paying a service provider for services rendered to the company. In the process, he deceived his supervisor to make final authorisations for money to be transferred into his accomplice’s bank account,” said Mamothame.
He said investigations revealed that some of this money was later transferred to his own bank account, resulting in the State charging him for money laundering.
"Police aren’t ruling out the possibility of making more arrests,“ added Mamothame.
Meanwhile, Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari together with the provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, expressed their satisfaction with the progress made following the arrest of the accused and the speed at which court processes are being conducted.
Mutale will appear again in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 21 April 2023.
IOL