The Department of Employment and Labour has welcomed the arrest of a 39-year-old bookkeeper who is accused of swindling the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Covid-19 Ters Scheme of R11,1 million.
The suspect is scheduled to appear in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court next Tuesday.
The bookkeeper is alleged to have submitted Covid-19 TERS claims on behalf of four clients but according to the Department of Employment and Labour conveniently forgot to make the clients aware.
Subsequently, an amount of R11,1 million was paid into the suspect’s business accounts.
The intended clients realised something was amiss after they were harangued by their employees for not paying them TERS monies they had claimed.
The matter was then reported to the police.
Following joint investigations between the UIF and the police, the suspect was traced and arrested in Durban on Wednesday this week.
A luxury Audi Q2 suspected to be part of the proceeds of crime was seized during the arrest.
