A former financial administration clerk at Lentegeur High School has been charged with stealing R503 445.61 from the school.
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Yesterday, Rochellin Adriana Baartman appeared in the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court on charges of fraud, theft, forgery and uttering after the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team issued a warrant for her arrest.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi, spokesperson for the Western Cape South African Police Service, Baartman was employed as a financial administration clerk at Lentegeur High School between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2020.
During this time, she was responsible for compiling the requisition documents and capturing payments into the online banking system.
Vukubi says she completed 66 transactions, of which payments were made to her personal bank accounts.
‘Investigation revealed that the suppliers’ invoices were amended to reflect the details of Baartman. Payslips for the period of November 2020 to February 2021 were fraudulently created which indicated that she received a salary from both the Department of Education and the School Governing Body,’ says Vukubi.
‘She used five different methods to process payments.’ As a result, the school suffered a loss of R503 445.61.
Baartman was granted R20 000 bail and her next court date is set for 13 May for further investigation.
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