Couple pleads guilty to N$9.9m fraud 

A married couple admitted guilt on more than 800 2charges of fraud, in excess of 800 counts of theft, and more than 800 counts of money laundering involving close to N$10 million in the Windhoek High Court yesterday.

Amanda Jantjies (58) pleaded guilty to 873 charges of fraud and 871 counts of money laundering, while her husband, Barnard Jantjies (60), admitted guilt on 876 charges of theft and 871 counts of money laundering at the start of their trial before judge Eileen Rakow.

The charges on which the couple admitted guilt involve a total amount of N$9.98 million that was stolen from the bus service close corporation Ekonolux over a five-year period from January 2014 to November 2018.

Amanda was a bookkeeper employed by Ekonolux when she and her husband committed the fraud, theft and money laundering to which they admitted guilt.

Barnard, in his capacity as representative of the close corporation Bareli Building Services, of which he is the sole member, also pleaded guilty to 127 counts of theft and 125 charges of money laundering, involving a total amount of N$3.45 million that was stolen from Ekonolux.

Amanda admitted that the crimes were committed when she made various payments from a bank account of Ekonolux to her own bank account, an account of her husband and an account of his close corporation, under the pretext that the payments were made to suppliers and clients of Ekonolux for goods purchased by Ekonolux or for services rendered to it.

In a plea statement given to the court, Amanda admitted that she misappropriated N$9.98 million from Ekonolux.

“I remorsefully admit that myself, my co-accused husband and my family lived a lifestyle that was beyond our means and this triggered the uncontrolled theft and expenditure of the money,” she said in her plea statement.

Barnard Jantjies informed the court, also in a plea statement, that he and his wife acted with a common purpose when they stole the money from Ekonolux.

He said he agreed with his wife and supported her to transfer money from the bank account of Ekonolux to her own account and to an account of his own close corporation.

According to Barnard, his wife paid a total amount of N$3.45 million into the account of Bareli Building Services.

He used the money which he withdrew from his close corporation’s account to pay his “personal, family and household expenses”, Barnard said.

He added: “I also used the money to gamble from time to time.”

Barnard also said in his plea statement that he had a gambling habit since 2014, and that his gambling addiction spiralled out of control. He spent most of the N$3.45 million that his wife had paid from the account of Ekonolux to the account of his close corporation on gambling in casinos in Windhoek and at Swakopmund, he said.

The state is alleging that the fraud and theft committed by the couple started on a relatively modest scale, with a total amount of N$19 389 misappropriated from Ekonolux in January 2014.

Amanda’s fraud soon snowballed, though, with a total amount of about N$43 900 misappropriated in March 2014, N$73 378 stolen in April 2014 and N$136 791 misappropriated in July 2014.

In August 2018 – shortly before Ekonolux started to investigate suspicious transactions in December 2018 – about N$149 500 was misappropriated from the bus service, the state is alleging.

The couple have to return to court for a presentence hearing on Thursday.

They are free on bail in the meantime.

State advocate Ian Malumani is representing the prosecution.

Amanda and Barnard Jantjies are being represented by defence lawyers Dawn Marondedze and Janita von Wielligh, respectively.

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