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Johannesburg - A former head of credit control at a fruit juice company was jailed for eight years by the Bellville Commercial Specialised Court in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Evan Craig Simrie was sentenced for embezzling R1 587.483. He was sentenced on 16 counts of fraud and one of money-laundering.
He started as a clerk in the credit department at Ceres Fruit Juices in Paarl and was promoted as departmental head, He had access to the company's electronic fast-track payment system.
Magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg said he had manipulated the system to channel huge payments into three private accounts, including one owned by his uncle.
He had falsely explained to his uncle that he was earning huge sums through investment with the get-rich scheme, but that he did not want his wife to know about his extra income.
Prosecutor Derek Vogel told the court the company had in 2010 identified an amount paid to a debtor that needed investigation.
"The investigation had uncovered Simrie's embezzlements, and it was likely that Simrie would have continued his fraudulent transactions had the investigation not happened," Vogel said.
Sonnenberg said white collar crime was rampant, and usually perpetrated by people who held positions of trust.
She said Simrie qualified for the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years for fraud in excess of R500 000, but that there were substantial and compelling circumstances that justified a less severe sentence.
She rejected as inappropriate defence attorney Hailey Lawrence's suggestion of a prison sentence that would allow Simrie's release after only 10 months.
