Cape Town — Convicted fraudster, Hildegard Steenkamp, was sentenced to an effective 50 years in prison after she stole more than R500m from her employer.
Steenkamp was subject to a meticulous investigation for fraudulent activities against her former employer, a pharmaceutical company called Medtronic, that amounted to over R500m since 2017, The Hawks said in a statement.
“Following a three-month investigation, the Hawks descended on Steenkamp’s house with search-and-seizure warrants and attached the woman’s 11 luxury vehicles, motorcycles and seven immovable properties as well as furniture, appliances and jewellery worth millions of rands,” Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, said.
Steenkamp allegedly duplicated payments by transferring money directly into her late husband’s bank account. She made her first appearance in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on December 15, and was granted bail of R250 000.
#sapsHAWKS Hildegard Antoinette Steenkamp (50) was today sentenced by the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrates court to an effective 50 years this afternoon, 08 December 2023 on 336 charges of fraud. NPhttps://t.co/ykn9ot3Rnn pic.twitter.com/g8au1DW88S
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) December 8, 2023
According to IOL, the court had previously heard that Steenkamp had spent R65m over a five-year period at a casino and went on international holidays worth R30 million, including regular trips to Dubai and lived an opulent life.
Steenkamp had tried to cover up the theft by making fraudulent VAT claims from the South African Revenue Service (SARS). n imposing the sentence, Magistrate Phillip Venter said the amount involved was more than what his court has seen in other cases involving money stolen by an individual, News24 reported.
“The current case here with this perpetrator is the highest amount to date by an individual. Although, in her version, her husband (Mathys Steenkamp) forced her to do it, she perpetrated the actions alone. To comprehend that one employee stole so much money from her employer is mind-boggling,” Venter said.
Steenkamp’s advocate, Francois Roets, argued that a direct imprisonment term would not be suitable because his client would not get an opportunity to be rehabilitated due to poor living conditions in prisons. Roets argued there was overcrowding in prisons.
However, Venter dismissed the arguments. “This cannot be placed on my doorstep. The court has analysed all options. Imprisonment is the strongest deterrent sanction available,” he added.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
