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Boksburg Multi-Million Fraudster’s Sentencing Set for December
Hildegard Steenkamp, a fraudster hailing from Cinderella in Boksburg, recently concluded the final day of her court appearance before sentencing. The proceedings took place in a multi-million rand fraud case, and the sentencing date has been scheduled for December 8.
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Steenkamp, aged 50, had embezzled over R537 million from her former employer, Medtronic (Pty) Ltd, over a span of 13 years while serving as an accountant. She had already pleaded guilty to 336 charges linked to the extensive fraud earlier in the year.
The courtroom at the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court in Palm Ridge resumed its proceedings after a two-month hiatus. Most of the day centred on the State’s submissions for sentence aggravation and the defence’s efforts to mitigate the sentence.
Advocate Tilas Chabalala, the State attorney, argued that the accused should receive a severe sentence of at least 25 years. Chabalala contended that Steenkamp displayed no genuine remorse for her actions, and there was no evidence to substantiate her initial claim that her late husband, Mathys Steenkamp, had been abusive and coerced her into committing the thefts. Steenkamp had presented this argument during her plea for a reduced sentence on August 14.
However, the court learned that Steenkamp continued stealing substantial sums even after her former husband’s passing, including over R6.6 million on November 24, 2016.
Chabalala maintained that the perpetrator had been motivated by sheer greed. He pointed out, “The accused was arrested in December 2017. If she was genuinely remorseful, she would not have waited over five years to plead guilty to the charges.”
In his final arguments, Advocate Francois Roets, Steenkamp’s defence lawyer, called for a more lenient sentence to ensure fair and just imprisonment without breaking the accused’s spirit. Roets contended that Steenkamp was a first-time offender and an unemployed parent. He also expressed concerns about the conditions in the overcrowded prison system, which he believed violated offenders’ rights in the country.
Source: Boksburg multi-million fraudster to be sentenced in December
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Photo: Supplied by Citizen
