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A 32-year-old financial manager at a Gqeberha company appeared in court on Tuesday on charges of theft of over R14 million from his employer.
The Hawks said Storm Karlin was arrested by the Gqeberha Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team of the Hawks, in collaboration with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), on the same day.
Spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, said the case stems from Karlin’s tenure as the financial manager between July 2018 and May 2024 of the business.
He said he had access to the company’s business bank account and was apparently authorised to execute and release payments using his credentials.
Mhlakuvana said suspicions were raised when discrepancies were found in the company’s financial records, prompting the matter to be urgently referred to the Hawks for an in-depth investigation.
He said it is alleged that Karlin had unlawfully and intentionally transferred substantial amounts of money into two bank accounts linked to him, resulting in financial prejudice to the company of over R14 million.
Karlin was granted bail of R10 000, and the case was postponed to 4 April for further investigation.
