Jantjies couple jailed over N$9.98 fraud and theft

A married couple who admitted guilt on more than 1 700 charges of fraud and theft involving a total amount of N$9.98 million were sent to prison for effective periods of 14 years and nine years, respectively, in the Windhoek High Court yesterday.

Judge Eileen Rakow sentenced Amanda Jantjies (58) to 18 years’ imprisonment, of which four years are suspended for a period of five years, on 873 counts of fraud.

Amanda’s husband, Barnard Jantjies (61), who admitted guilt on 876 charges of theft, was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment, of which five years are suspended for a period of five years.

The couple pleaded guilty to the charges at the start of June this year.

Rakow also sentenced them to eight years’ imprisonment each on 871 counts of money laundering, on which they pleaded guilty as well, and ordered that the sentences on those charges should be served concurrently with the sentences on the fraud and theft charges.

The close corporation Bareli Building Services, of which Barnard is the sole member, was sentenced to pay a fine of N$150 000 on 127 charges of theft and a fine of N$75 000 on 125 counts of money laundering.

Barnard admitted guilt to the charges on behalf of his close corporation.

Rakow recounted during the sentencing that Amanda was employed as a bookkeeper by the bus service Ekonolux when she defrauded her employer from January 2014 to November 2018 by making payments from its bank account to her own account and an account of her husband’s close corporation.

The payments were made under the pretext that Ekonolux, where Amanda was employed since 1996, was paying suppliers and clients for goods purchased by the bus service or for services rendered to it.

Amanda transferred a total amount of N$3.45 million from an account of Ekonolux to an account of Bareli Building Services when she committed the fraud, the court was informed.

In a plea statement given to the court at the start of the couple’s trial, Amanda said she, her husband and their family “lived a lifestyle that was beyond our means and this triggered the uncontrolled theft and expenditure of the money”.

Barnard informed the court in a plea statement that he used the money stolen from Ekonolux to pay his personal, family and household expenses, and also to gamble “from time to time”.

He developed an addiction to gambling after he hit two jackpot payouts, winning N$21 000 and N$42 000, during a visit to a casino in Windhoek, Barnard recounted when he testified in mitigation of sentence.

Rakow said she had taken into account that the couple pleaded guilty and showed remorse about the crimes they committed when they testified in mitigation of sentence.

She said she had also taken into account that the couple are not young people and are not in a position to pay fines if they were given that option.

Amanda was in a trusted position through her employment with Ekonolux and she abused that position over a long period of time when she committed the fraud, Rakow said.

She added that Barnard was aware that the money his close corporation received and which he was using for personal, family and household expenses and also for gambling came from acts of fraud and theft.

White-collar crimes like fraud and theft are on the rise in Namibia, and the corrosive effect on society of such crimes should not be underestimated, Rakow remarked.

Defence lawyers Janita von Wielligh and Dawn Marondedze represented Barnard and Amanda, respectively.

State advocate Ian Malumani represented the prosecution.

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