NEWS - NAMIBIA
| 2013-08-12Ex-couple’s N$17m fraud case postponed
Werner Menges
A CASE in which a former employee of a drilling company and her ex-husband are charged with fraud allegedly involving a massive N$17 million was postponed for two months in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Fraud suspects Stephanie Serfontein (44) and her ex-husband Izak Serfontein (42) were due to give their initial pleas on the charge they are facing on Friday. However, their defence lawyer Sarel Maritz was engaged in another fraud trial in the High Court resulting in the Serfonteins’ plea proceedings being postponed to 11 October.
It is alleged that Stephanie Serfontein defrauded her former employer, Windhoek-based mining drilling contractor Ferrodrill Namibia, between 2008 and 2012, while she was employed with the company. She allegedly channelled money from the company’s account into that of her then husband’s, her child’s and her own account.
Both Stephanie and her ex-husband were arrested in July last year. Stephanie was arrested first and her ex-husband a day after she had been taken into custody.
She spent two-and-a-half weeks in custody before she was released on a N$75 000 bail. Izak Serfontein was also granted bail of N$75 000 after spending three weeks in custody.
Magistrate Hileni Kavara was informed during the previous court appearance two-and-a-half weeks ago that the amount of money involved in the former couple’s fraud charge had ballooned from an initial N$3 million to N$17 million.
Fraud suspects Stephanie Serfontein (44) and her ex-husband Izak Serfontein (42) were due to give their initial pleas on the charge they are facing on Friday. However, their defence lawyer Sarel Maritz was engaged in another fraud trial in the High Court resulting in the Serfonteins’ plea proceedings being postponed to 11 October.
It is alleged that Stephanie Serfontein defrauded her former employer, Windhoek-based mining drilling contractor Ferrodrill Namibia, between 2008 and 2012, while she was employed with the company. She allegedly channelled money from the company’s account into that of her then husband’s, her child’s and her own account.
Both Stephanie and her ex-husband were arrested in July last year. Stephanie was arrested first and her ex-husband a day after she had been taken into custody.
She spent two-and-a-half weeks in custody before she was released on a N$75 000 bail. Izak Serfontein was also granted bail of N$75 000 after spending three weeks in custody.
Magistrate Hileni Kavara was informed during the previous court appearance two-and-a-half weeks ago that the amount of money involved in the former couple’s fraud charge had ballooned from an initial N$3 million to N$17 million.
