Supplied NPA
A 63-year-old woman who was arrested in 2019 has pleaded guilty to 972 counts of fraud in the Port Elizabeth Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday.
Estelle Burgess worked as a creditors clerk for Eastern Cape Training Centre, and over a decade she swindled over R13 million.
A spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in the Eastern Cape Anelisa Ngcakani says between November of 2004 and September 2014, Burgess used an online internet payment system to pay creditors.
She says only Burgess and the financial manager had access to the banking system.
Ngcakani says Burgess created spreadsheets that included the banking details of the creditors and the amounts that were due, before presenting it to the manager who would then authorise the payments.
Burgess had access to nine bank accounts from four different banks and some were under her name. Burgess fraudulently substituted the banking details of creditors and suppliers with her own.
As a result, R13 460 236.05 was paid into her nine bank accounts.
The State accepted Burgess' plea and the matter was postponed to 6 May for correctional supervision and probation officer's report to be handed in.
