MPUMALANGA - Helga Jolene van der Merwe (43) and Ernest Richard Bean (47) appeared in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday shortly after being arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team for alleged fraud and money laundering.

Van der Merwe was an employee of Simotech in Middelburg, responsible for its accounts, until 2017, when it was discovered she had allegedly created fictitious creditors, and used the particulars of existing creditors, to make unauthorised payments into the personal accounts of her husband, Bean, and her own, amounting to over R3,8 mill.

The couple was charged with theft, fraud and money laundering, and released on bail of R50 000 each. The case was postponed to September 8 for a pre-trial.

Editor: Anchen Coetzee
Subeditor: Wahl Lessing
Submitted by: Brig Leonard Hlathi